Plant record
Dahlia
Dahlia pinnata hybrids
Dahlias ask you to believe in August while you are still standing in May.
Garden timing
Plant tubers after frost in warming soil.
Space-saving method: grow with stake support.
Plant intelligence
Give one plant at least two squares and stake before the stems are heavy.
cut flowerpollinator
Lifecycle: tender perennial
Habit: tuberous flower
Height: 24-60 inches
Spread: 18-30 inches
Bloom: summer, fall
Attracts: bees
Record score
85/100strong garden record
Taxonomy confidence94Dahlia pinnata hybrids in Asteraceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness86multi-square crop with stake support.
Timing and care depth711 planting window, 55F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down882 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90moderate pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.
Species identity
This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
ScientificDahlia pinnata hybridsFamilyAsteraceaeLookup namesDahlia, Dahlia pinnata hybrids, garden dahlia, cut flower dahlia
Garden decision matrix
Square-foot fit2 squares per plant
Season behaviortender
Care loadsteady water
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, pollinator
Variety depth2 options
Species and variety notes
Choose smaller decorative types for beds and reserve dinnerplates for dedicated flower space.
Bishop of Llandaffcultivar
78small-bed fit
More useful to insects than tight decorative blooms.
Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.
open flower, pollinator access, dark foliage30-36 inches tallCafe au Laitcultivar
78small-bed fit
Beautiful, but not a casual square-foot citizen.
Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.
large bloom, cut flower, needs room36-48 inches tallCompanions
basil, marigold, calendula
Cautions
Tubers cannot freeze.
Stake early before stems get heavy.
External enrichment
Cached name: Dahlia pinnata hybrids. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.
Open enrichment JSONData layers
FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.
API source score
Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.
USDA PLANTS Database
Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.
Source referenceCornell Vegetable Growing Guides
Crop-specific vegetable growing guidance.
Source reference