ADS form ID

Informal Decorative dahlias

Fully double blooms with twisted, curled, or wavy ray florets arranged irregularly. Most of the famous dinnerplates, including Cafe au Lait, live here.

Informal Decorative varieties carry an ADS size letter: AA (over 10 inches) down to M (up to 4 inches). The catalog word "dinnerplate" maps loosely to AA and A; it is marketing language, not a class.

Profiled informal decorative varieties

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Fa. D. Bruidegom, 1967

Cafe au Lait

Creamy blush that shifts through ivory, champagne, peach, and dusty rose, often varying bloom to bloom. Farms note that no two flowers are quite alike.

Informal DecorativeSells out fast
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A. C. Koot, 2013

Labyrinth

A swirled two-tone blend of golden bronze and raspberry. The petals read peachy pink at a distance and resolve into the swirl up close.

Informal Decorative BLimited supply
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Kristine Albrecht, 2019

KA's Khaleesi

A clean white giant, ADS class AA ID WH. Petals stay crisp and bright rather than creamy, which is part of why florists chase it for big white installation work.

Informal Decorative AASells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified, 2020

Cafe au Lait Royal

A blush and white base streaked and tipped with magenta and purple for a tie dye effect. The RHS describes it as white overlaid with light purple blush and purple stripes.

Informal DecorativeLimited supply
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Bob Simon, 1987

Belle of Barmera

Idlewild Blooms describes vibrant coral with layers of sunset tones running through the petals; Floret sees peach-centered coral-raspberry blooms. The ADS color class is dark pink, which undersells it.

Informal Decorative AASells out fast
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Kristine Albrecht, 2015

KA's Cloud

White brushed with a soft blush, the cream-and-pink wedding palette that made it famous. The blush reads stronger in cool weather and fades toward clean white in heat.

Informal Decorative ALimited supply
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Walter H. Maritz, 2003

Penhill Dark Monarch

Descriptions vary by source: the registry says bicolored purple and yellow, Triple Wren sees a raspberry-to-plum ombre, and the RHS describes swirling peach and dark pink. Expect a shifting dark blend rather than one fixed color.

Informal Decorative AALimited supply
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Cunningham, 1986

Shiloh Noelle

Pale blush-lavender white. Early blooms lean yellow-pink, while fall blooms shift toward lavender and white.

Informal Decorative AASells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified

Cafe au Lait Rose

Rich cerise pink and lavender rose with an iridescent quality per Floret, far more saturated than its blush parent.

Informal DecorativeWidely available
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Kristine Albrecht, 2021

KA's Mocha Maya

Cream to soft pink washed with muted tan mocha tones, the signature smoky look of the Mocha line. The dusty cast is what florists prize for moody, neutral arrangements.

Informal Decorative BBSells out fast
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C. Chilson, 1954

Chilson's Pride

Bubblegum pink melting to a creamy white center, a pastel ombre from the middle out. Petals carry a slightly ragged, almost fimbriated edge that softens the whole bloom.

Informal DecorativeSells out fast
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Otto Aumuller, 1956

Otto's Thrill

Shimmering rose pink with a frosted peach glow toward the center, ADS color class pink. The petals catch light in a way that reads metallic in photographs.

Informal Decorative AWidely available
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John W. Sherwood, 1944

Sherwood's Peach

Glowing peach classed as bronze by the ADS. Idlewild Blooms describes huge, fluffy bronze blooms with the tiniest purple haze in the center, and the petal reverse carries that purple shadow throughout.

Informal Decorative AASells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified

Gitts Perfection

ADS color class light blend: soft pink petals that melt to a creamy white center. The gradient is gentle enough that the whole bloom reads as one luminous wash of blush.

Informal Decorative ASells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified

Emory Paul

Deep magenta-pink on a giant dinnerplate, one of the largest blooms the genus reliably makes.

Informal Decorative AASells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified

Hamari Gold

Warm bronzy gold on a large dinnerplate, a designer staple for autumn arrangements.

Informal Decorative ALimited supply
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N. Gitts, 2012

Mikayla Miranda

A light blend: white base with lavender and lilac tips and a soft green glow at the center.

Informal Decorative BSells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified, 1983

Santa Claus

Red and white bicolor with long, ruffled petals. Summer Dreams Farm notes no two flowers are patterned alike.

Informal Decorative BBWidely available
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R. I. M. Bisschops, 2002

Breakout

A light blend of creamy pink warming to a soft butter yellow center.

Informal Decorative AWidely available
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Paul Bloomquist, 2018

Bloomquist Jean

A clear orange on a medium informal decorative, ADS class B ID, clean enough to win and useful enough to cut.

Informal Decorative BSells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified, 2012

Hollyhill Black Beauty

A deep black-red, about as dark as the genus goes, on a small informal decorative.

Informal Decorative BBSells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified

AC Rosebud

A rose-red with a glowing golden center, a warm two-tone that sells itself in a bouquet.

Informal Decorative BBSells out fast
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Hybridizer unverified

Spartacus

A deep velvety dark red on a large dinnerplate, dramatic on the show bench and in the vase alike.

Informal Decorative ALimited supply
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Kristine Albrecht, 2022

KA's Papa John

White, ADS class A ID WH, listed by Crazy4Dahlias as A ID WH. A clean large white in the same family as Khaleesi but at a more manageable size.

Informal Decorative ASells out fast
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Kristine Albrecht

KA's Mocha Jake

Pale pink, the softest tone in the Mocha line. A quiet, dusty pink that sits easily alongside the cream and tawny shades of its siblings.

Informal Decorative BBSells out fast
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LeeAnn Huber

Coseytown Goldilocks

Saturated gold, a honey-mustard yellow with extra ruffling in the petals. The deep, warm tone reads richer than a typical clear yellow dahlia.

Informal DecorativeNearly impossible to find