Plant Pick: Mystic Illusion Dahlia

If you are looking for a show-stopper for a container or in your garden, you cannot go wrong with this dahlia, “Mystic Illusion.” It is so striking, that I fell in love with dahlias the first time I saw it. My daughter is really into dahlias, so I am learning a few things about them. Here in Ohio, they are not hardy, so the tubers have to be dug up each fall and stored. It is extra trouble, but for this  Mystic Illusion Dahlia, it is so worth it!

The foliage on this plant is such a pretty color. It is more of a blackish or dark burgundy in its green shades and those bright lemon-colored blooms just seem to contrast to well. It is like a bright sun shining out at you. I love that foliage. It reminds me of the dark foliage of the Black and Blue Salvia, which his another one of my favorites.

I understand this can be deadheaded to prolong the bloom but the spent blossoms are almost as pretty as the flowers. The spent blooms are large tear-drop shaped dangling ornaments on the large shrub-like plant. Let me see if I can get a close up.

Dahlias need medium moisture, so plan to water them frequently all summer. They like a lot of sun but can take partial shade. I have mine protected from the hot afternoon sun.  Now, here is the spent bloom. I don’t know which of these are the prettiest, but they are both welcome on the plant. I love the long one maybe a little bit better. Which do you like?

We have the dahlia (as the “thriller”) planted in a large pot on the deck in full sun. It seems to be doing really well. So of course, I have made a video of us getting it planted and ready. It has grown quite a bit since planting, so I consider it a fast grower. And it really blooms a lot and can be seen from a distance very well. You may be able to grow it all year in your zone, but in Zone 6 Ohio USA,  I must dig the tubers and store them in the fall. We didn’t have a chance last year due to the move, so ours died out in the first freeze. When we dug up the pot this spring, it was very full of tubers (all mushy) so I know it can reproduce very well. Will the plant be the same? 

I will sure try and keep it watered. Our dahlia is on the east side of the home, so it is protected from afternoon sun. But here is a video of me trying to plant this huge plant. I guess next year will be so much easier just planting tubers!

Please share my Pin and the video too. Thanks! It helps so much when you share. Have a great day in the garden!