How to Arrange Dahlias

We asked Lyh-Rhen Lam of Fivefork Farms in Upton, Massa­chusetts (see Phylum, Class, Order, Family | Growing Dahlias) for an expert’s take on how to arrange dahlias into the perfect bouquet or display.

HOW TO ARRANGE DAHLIAS

Step 1:Consider where the arrangement will be displayed, and from what angles it will be viewed. For example, for a dinner-table arrangement such as this one, gardener Lyh-Rhen suggests a wide vessel rather than a tall one.

Step 2:To support an arrangement and to give it structure, Lyh-Rhen often forms a ball out of chicken wire, places it in the bottom of the vase, and threads the stems into the holes. Alternatively, he creates a lattice at the opening of the vase using floral tape. “Duct tape will work, too,” he notes.

Step 3:Next, Lyh-Rhen builds the shape in “pleasing proportions,” as he describes it, with special attention to height. “Imagine placing your bent elbow on the table where the flowers will be displayed,” he says. “The majority of the work should be below the wrist so that you can see your dinner companions.”

Step 4:Larger blooms go in first, such as the dinner-plate-sized beauty ‘Café au Lait’. Then he fills in the gaps with smaller pompom-sized dahlias, as well as shiso, sage, hydrangeas, rose hips, and geraniums. “The trick is to stop before it gets crowded or busy,” Lyh-Rhen advises. “You want to be able to see each flower.”

SEE MORE:How to Grow DahliasPhylum, Class, Order, Family | Growing Dahlias