Hi, I’m Tatiana, the backyard dahlia grower and author at Toronto Dahlias

My dream to start a cut flower garden was born in Swansea Mews on February 14, 2016 when I discovered a clearance dahlia stand at the local Sobeys floral department. A notorious plant killer, I felt there was nothing to lose if I tried with a $2 tuber of a mysterious black dahlia variety.

I had no growing space, I had no idea what I was doing and available information at the time was mostly targeted toward commercial growers. In fact, American Dahlia Society didn’t report on container growing until 2018. Prior to 2018, one source after another insisted “only dwarf dahlias can be grown in containers”

I did everything wrong; from planting time to shaping the plant, I disobeyed every recommendation and went for it with full abandon. Surprisingly, on July 1st my blind tenacity was rewarded with a flower bud, of later discovered ‘Arabian Night’ variety, immediately cementing my obsession with this forgiving, resilient plant.

This space was created as an educational resource for the ambitious DIY wedding enthusiasts and all local daydreamers who romanticize the cottagecore lifestyle, wishing to start a container cut flower gargen of their own.

Take a plunge into the unknown and be willing to take the risks in pursuit of happiness, even if your happiness demands scary amounts of coffee and a queen’s ransom in flowers.