Cafe Au Lait Dahlia Tubers - Starting Late - May 2026

A few of the tubers that I ordered turned out to be not viable.  And, they were sold out of a like-for-like variety, so they offered up a replacement based on their current, in-stock inventory.  I went with something I've never grown, but is pretty well-known:  Cafe Au Lait dahlias.  See below for the tuber and the package that they arrived in recently:

I haven't (in the past few seasons) grown any Dinnerplate Dahlias, so this will be a new (to me) experience in terms of size and staking.  Here's what Longfield Gardens says about C-A-L:

Cafe au Lait is the variety that launched today's dahlia mania. These big, romantic blooms are must-have for anyone who loves flowers. Cafe au Lait's blossoms are wonderfully variable in hue depending on weather conditions and time of year. You can expect flowers ranging from creamy yellow and bone through blush pink and rose. They are a fabulous cut flower, and like peonies, it takes just a few stems to make an impressive arrangement.

They grow up to 48" tall, so that's taller than my preference in terms of height.  That means greater staking needs, something that I need to get serious about in the next few weeks as I plant the dahlia tubers up in the ground around the garden.  

These will have been potted-up three-plus weeks later than some of the other tubers that I started indoors.  I still am putting this in a container before putting it in the ground.  Something to watch this season to see if these stay behind for the rest of the growing season or if they'll naturally catch up.