I love to listen to blues! I love to listen to music when I’m working and I’m 100% sure I’m in good company in that regard! We’re not talking about Chris Stapleton’s cool bluesy tune Them Stems in this post. This is not that, because this is the Dahlia Dish. We’re sharing our thoughts about flower stems. Them dahlia stems.
Great Dahlia Stems
Great stems can be stiff or wirey, thick or thin, hollow or solid, long or short, shades of green or dark shades of red and purple tones. While there is a lot of variety in dahlia stems qualities, when we say a variety has “great stems for bouquets” it generally means that we like using it in bouquets. Great dahlias for cut flowers have stems that we can use easily in bouquets. Some qualities matter more for bouquets, while some matter more for gardens.
After quite a number of years growing dahlias (since 2006) we have never been more thrilled with the stems of varieties in our current collection including our new Skeena varieties. They are almost all double duty dahlias! Great in the garden and great in the vase.
Dahlia Stem Colour
Dark stems! Those reddish purple or purplish red stems! We love them in the garden! While the colour of the stems may tend to get lost in bouquets, out in the garden those dahlias with colourful stems are extra gorgeous. Especially when we get a light coloured bloom that is just set off so beautifully by its contrasting dark stems. Gah! Stem colour doesn’t matter so much for bouquets, but it can add interest in the garden.
Dahlia Stem Strength
Stem Strength is important for both bouquets and gardens. Stems should always be strong enough to hold the bloom up under normal conditions and also capable of withstanding cutting, handling, transporting and arranging. Weak stems and weak flower to stem attachments aren’t useful in bouquets or gardens if stems break or flowers break off easily. For some varieties, late season stems can be thinner and not as strong as they were earlier in the season. In our experience we find this to be true for some especially taller and floriferous varieties. Cutting plants like this on the “deeper” side (one or two nodes below where you’d cut for a decent stems length) during the first flush of blooms early in the season can help to keep these plants at a more manageable height over the season and with stronger stems.
Dahlia 2023-038 This is an example of a stem that we did not disbud. It has grown 2 lateral stems about 8 inches below the central bloom. We normally remove these 2 as small buds prior to the stems developing. Often we’d cut the stem at the point where its held in the photo (just above the 2nd node). But here, we intentionally cut the stem “deeper” to keep the plant shorter and bushier.
Dahlia Stem Length
Stem length is most important for bouquets and less so for the garden. For bouquets our favourite bucket/vase/jar/vessel to use for holding after cutting and for arranging bouquets will dictate how long the stems need to be. The buckets we use for holding after cutting are 10.5″ tall. The vessels we prefer for bouquets are 7″ to 9″ tall jars or vases. When we cut blooms, the flower heads need to be proud of the bucket thus guaranteeing that we’ve cut stems that will be long enough and then some for using in bouquets. The top height of our bouquets is usually around 16″ to 18″. This is a good length for wrapped market style cut flower bundles too. When we think of varieties with great stems we like stems to be a minimum of approximately 12″ to 16″ long from the base of the bloom. Cutting the stem for this length may come before, but is often after the first “node” below the bloom. The first node is where lateral buds start growing. This is where the need for dis-budding comes in.
Dis-budding for Stem Length
Most dahlias benefit from a bit of dis-budding, especially when their destination is the vase. Dahlias will have a central bud and at least 1 or more lateral buds that start growing just below the central bud. Initially they look like a bit of a cluster, but as the buds develop their respective stems lengthen and the lateral stems may grow past the central bloom leaving that bloom somewhat hidden “in the plant” with a very short stem. Removing the first one or pair of lateral buds when they are large enough to handle without breaking off the central bud will help achieve a longer stem for the central bloom. Some varieties need more dis-budding than others to achieve better results. We’ll remove just the first bud or pair of lateral buds on some varieties, while on others we may remove up to 5. You’ll soon get to know which varieties are a little less demanding in this regard.
P.S. don’t let those short stems go to waste. Short stems can still be used in small posy style bouquets , single blooms in bud vases, and we frequently use them along the edge of the jar or vase for larger bouquets.
Dahlia Stem Thickness
Thick stems and stiff stems can be challenging to use in bouquets, but we can use them especially if they have a nice 45 degree “chin up” bloom angle. We just don’t want them all to be super thick or super stiff all the time. They are what they are and demand their space in the vase. They can add great structure, while the thinner, wirey stems are more forgiving and can add some whimsey and be easier to work with in arrangements. Thinner wirey stems can be tucked into the vase here and there with ease, whereas chunky stiff stems are better placed in the vase first where they can be happily in place and “worked around”.
The bloom angle and attachment to the stem contributes to the utility of the stems in bouquets. Clock faced blooms (they look straight ahead like a clock on the wall) and navel gazers (blooms that face downward) are harder to use in bouquets, less appealing in the garden, and unlikely to be winners on the show table.
The beautiful blooms of chunky, stiff, short stemmed dahlias are best left in the garden to be enjoyed in our humble opinion! Our favourite dahlias for bouquets always tend to be those that give us great stems for the least amount of work. Not too much dis-budding for good stem length, not too stiff, not too chunky, and always strong enough to hold those beautiful blooms up and also stand up to all the handling between field and final destination.
Enjoy the Dahlia!