Café au Lait Royal Dahlia

If the name of this variety sounds familiar, maybe it's because you have some experience with its sibling, Café au Lait, the most popular dahlia grown in the U.S. These long-lived varieties bear huge, decorative-type dahlias from midsummer until frost. Their fully double, 10" blooms form on strong stalks that grow 4' tall, where they can easily be accessed by butterflies. The only difference is in the colouration: Café au Lait Royal Dahlia is soft pink with tinges of cream; its beloved sib is creamy white blended with tan and light pink-peach. Its enormity and colouration make this variety excellent for growing in back of a sunny border or for using indoors in a vase. Hungry deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone. Dahlias are not winter-hardy plants, so their tubers should be lifted each fall in all but the warmest climates. Pack them in peat moss and keep stored in a cool, dry, dark place until replanting in spring.