Two Dahlias That Caught My Attention This Week: RM Party Popper & KA’s® Opal Cliffs

There are certain dahlias that make you stop when you walk past them.

Sometimes it is immediate. You see the flower and think, that one is special.

Other times, it takes a little longer.

You watch the plant develop. You see the flowers change as the season progresses. And eventually, a dahlia that didn’t initially convince you suddenly finds its stride.

This week in the garden, I experienced both.

RM Party Popper: The One Other People Are Noticing

Walking through RM Heaven garden, I’ve been paying particular attention to RM Party Popper.

But I’m not the only one.

A couple of recent brides have specifically pointed this dahlia out while walking through the garden.

That caught my attention.

There are plenty of beautiful dahlias growing in RM Heaven garden, so when someone independently stops to point out the same variety, I take notice.

RM Party Popper has one of those flowers that seems to catch your eye almost immediately. It has presence without needing to be the largest flower in the garden.

And seeing it as a cut flower gives you another perspective on it.

Sometimes a dahlia that looks beautiful on the plant becomes even more interesting once you bring it into a bouquet.

That’s part of what I enjoy about growing these varieties. I’m not just evaluating them from a catalog photograph or a description. I get to watch them grow, cut them, put them in arrangements, and see which ones people respond to.

RM Party Popper is one I’m watching closely.

KA’s® Opal Cliffs: A Dahlia That Changed My Mind

KA’s® Opal Cliffs has a different story.

When the first blooms opened, I wasn’t sure it was going to be one of my favorites.

The early flowers leaned much more lavender than I expected.

But I kept watching it.

As the plant matured, the color changed. The flowers became much more of the beautiful, pearly pink I had hoped to see.

It found its stride.

And now, KA’s® Opal Cliffs has become one of the most beautiful of the new KA’s® releases growing in KA’s® Heaven garden.

It is a mini formal decorative, and that form is part of what makes it so interesting.

The flowers have a refined, structured appearance, but they remain relatively small. That combination can be particularly useful to florists and floral designers, who often need flowers that work naturally within an arrangement rather than overwhelming everything around them.

The pearly pink color makes it even more appealing.

Sometimes the Garden Changes Your Mind

This is one of my favorite things about growing dahlias.

You can look at a new variety when the first flowers open and think you know what you have.

And sometimes you’re right.

But sometimes you’re not.

A flower can change as the plant matures. Color can settle into something different. Form can become more consistent. The overall plant can begin to show you what the breeder saw when the variety was selected.

That’s exactly what happened with KA’s® Opal Cliffs for me.

And RM Party Popper is reminding me of something else: the people walking through the garden can notice things that you might overlook.

That is one of the reasons I love sharing these garden walks.

I’m not trying to show you a perfectly staged garden.

I’m inviting you to see what I’m seeing right now.

Come Walk Through the Garden

This week’s garden walks feature both of these dahlias.

In RM Heaven, come take a closer look at RM Party Popper—the dahlia that a couple of recent brides have independently noticed.

And in KA’s® Heaven, take a walk toward Opal Cliffs and see how this pearly pink mini formal decorative has developed over the season.

The garden is changing every week.

And sometimes the most interesting flowers are the ones you didn’t expect.

Come take a walk with me.

— Tim

Pedaling Petals
Northern Colorado