Dahlia Resources

The American Dahlia Society is comprised of several thousand enthusiastic gardeners from all over North America. While all of their activities are 100% voluntary, they generate and support a lot of powerful resources for dahlia growers. The links at the right summarize a number of those resources.

The ADS Classification Guide is the most popular link on this website. It provides opportunities to see pictures of many dahlia cultivars, to determine the form and color of virtually all current ADS cultivars, to look up cultivars that fall into various forms and colors, to review the performance of those cultivars in sanctioned ADS shows over a number of years, to identify the cultivars originated by various hybridizers, ... In short, it is a very powerful data base to find, observe, and study dahlias!

The ADS will be changing from the current 3 digit classification numbering system to a more flexible Four Digit Classification number system. This link provides a conversion table between the systems.

Weland's Big List - external link - An extensive listing of over 50,000 dahlia cultivars  compiled by Gerald Weland. This list includes many old dahlias not listed in the Composite Listing.

The Sponsored Research Program is a research project underway at Washington State University. The project is expanding the state of the art in our knowledge of virus in dahlias. The link provides direct access to the relevant WSU website.

The Fabulous Fifty is a list of dahlias that have been the most successful winners in the previous season's shows. These cultivars have received at least 50 blue and higher awards in sanctioned ADS dahlia shows throughout the United States and Canada.

The Cream of the Crop lists the most successful dahlias for each size, color, and form. It shows all of the cultivars reported from the dahlia shows around the United States and Canada that have received at least 15 combined blue and higher awards.

The Trial Garden link lists the Trial Gardens sponsored by the ADS and provides guidelines and the appropriate form for making an entry of a new seedling in a Trial Garden.

Dahlia Suppliers who advertise in our quarterly Bulletin are patronized by ADS members to acquire dahlia tubers and other dahlia-related materials. However, the ADS does not warrant the quality of any transactions between you and the suppliers.

Dahlia Judging Schools provide dahlia growers with perspective on what judges look for in the evaluation of entries in a dahlia show. They are also an essential step in becoming a dahlia judge.

Local Plant and Tuber Sales are an excellent way to obtain good quality, locally grown, dahlia tubers and plants as well as good, local counsel on how to grow them.

The ADS Logo is available for use by dahlia suppliers under certain specific conditions.

The ADS has established a Business Partners program that provides opportunities for small and large businesses to support the core mission of the ADS as well as to enhance their visibility to ADS members.