The Start of Brave Dahlias

When we started our flower farm last year, I had no idea where this journey would take me. I knew I loved flowers—how they could brighten a space, tell a story, and bring so much joy—but what I didn’t know was just how exciting saving my own seed and hybridizing new dahlia varieties would become.

Last season, I grew dahlias from seed for the first time, and I fell in love with the process. Unlike tubers, which produce clones of the parent plant, dahlia seeds don’t grow true to variety. Each seed carries a unique mix of genetic traits, meaning every single seedling is a brand-new variety that has never existed before.

Watching these mystery blooms unfold throughout the season was pure magic. Some inherited the soft, romantic tones I adore, while others had unexpected color shifts and new petal forms. Every bloom felt like opening a surprise gift from nature.

The Science Behind the Magic

Dahlias are pretty spectacular—not just in beauty but also in genetics. Unlike humans and most flowers, which are diploid (having two sets of chromosomes), dahlias are octoploid, meaning they have eight sets of chromosomes. This incredible complexity allows for a vast range of traits to emerge, which is why every seed-grown dahlia is entirely unique.

With my background in biology, I’ve always been fascinated by genetics, but hybridizing dahlias has deepened that passion in an entirely new way. Understanding inheritance, dominant and recessive traits, and selective breeding gives me a unique perspective as I work toward developing my own varieties. Science plays a huge role in the process, from choosing the right parent plants to carefully tracking traits I want to refine over multiple generations.

Hybridizing dahlias is about more than just planting seeds and waiting. It’s a process of selecting the strongest, most beautiful, and most unique blooms to carry forward into the next generation. It requires patience, observation, and an eye for both aesthetics and plant health. But the reward? New, one-of-a-kind dahlia varieties that are completely my own.

Brave Dahlias

For the 2025 season, hybridizing dahlias will be my main focus. I’m growing out hundreds of dahlia seedlings in search of the first-ever Brave Dahlias introductions—varieties that are uniquely beautiful, resilient, and worthy of a place in gardens and bouquets.

I’ll be selecting for color, form, and performance, and I can’t wait to document the journey, share the best finds, and maybe even name a few special blooms. My dream is to introduce Brave Dahlias’ first official variety in the coming years, and this season is the very beginning of that dream.

I hope you’ll follow along as I dive deeper into the world of dahlia breeding. This journey is just getting started, and I can already tell it’s going to be one of the most exciting parts of my flower farming adventure.

Would you ever try growing dahlias from seed? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts!