Lemon Tart Dahlia
Lemon Tart Dahlias are a compact plant that produces vivid yellow flowers. As a semicactus variety, the petals can curl as they move from the center outward. The flowers are four to five inches across. We waited 3 years to see this bloom and it was worth the wait. See the story below for our explanation as to why. One reason we selected this variety was because of the strong stem and angle of flowers that are good for arrangements. It’s also nice to put shorter dahlias in front of taller varieties, so there are flowers of multiple heights. When you stagger the height of plants in a flowerbed, it can give a fuller and more aesthetically pleasing presentation of blooms.
All Nichole’s childhood she had fresh lemons off her Grandparent’s lemon tree. The lemon tree was big and produced hundreds of lemons. In 2018, he grandfather passed. That was the first summer that we grew out 30 dahlias. Once everything was in bloom, we realized there was not a single yellow bloom. So in 2019 we looked for yellows to add to the garden. This small flower seemed just right and the name Lemon Tart seemed a sign that this would be a great plant. However, we purchased it at the Swan Island’s end of season sale. That first tuber produced a small plant, didn’t bloom and only made two eyed tubers. So it was nurtured the following year, but planted next to a dahlia that crowded Lemon Tart. Again, we saw a plant, a handful of tubers grown and no bloom. Finally this year we saw several blooms and have high hopes there will be good tuber production as well.
Attributes of the Lemon Tart Dahlias
Height – 2.5 feet
Color – Bright Yellow
Bloom Size – 4-5″
Bloom Style – Semicactus
Bloom Time – ~75 days
