In the early years of Farmgirl, back when our delivery was limited to San Francisco (and by bike to boot!), we used so many dahlias in our bouquets that some of the farmers we worked with started calling me the Dahlia Queen. I’m still not sure if that was a compliment or not, but I sure took it as one!
Dahlias have always been one of my very favorite flowers. They come in the most incredible colors and shapes, and they can make even the simplest bouquet look like a showstopper without really even trying that hard. Side note: wouldn’t it be great if there were that kind of easy button for getting ready in the morning?
But after a good early run, we learned (the hard way, of course) that most dahlia varieties couldn’t handle the temps and time in a shipping box when we started delivering our bouquets nationwide back in 2015. So, sadly, this Dahlia Queen had to hang up her crown.
But we didn’t give up on them forever. We’ve gotten pretty used to things not working out the first hundred times here at Farmgirl (flowers are most definitely not for the faint of heart), so a little wilting wasn’t going to be enough to stop us.
We got to work testing varieties to find the ones that could actually weather shipping and arrive looking just as beautiful as when they left the farm. With some trial and error, we learned that the ball-shaped varieties held up best. We also discovered dahlias needed to come directly from the farm to your door in order for them to last in your vase as long as we (and you!) need them to.
Next, we went searching high and low for farms that grow these ball varieties exceptionally well. Long story (and some frequent flier miles) short, we were fortunate to find a few of the very best in the game in Oregon and New Jersey. And it’s because of these incredible growers that we’re able to ship one of our very favorite flowers again!
