Formal Decorative form

Paul Bloomquist, 2015

Bloomquist Tory P

Blush lavender over a pale base, ADS color chip PK18. Vendors describe a silvery, muted pink with a marshmallow base and an amethyst blush, like petals cut from porcelain.

More pink dahlias
Hybridizer
Paul Bloomquist
Introduced
2015
ADS size
BB (Small, over 4 and up to 6 inch blooms)
Bloom
4 to 6 inches
Height
30 to 36 inches

Why people hunt it

Paul Bloomquist introduced Tory P in 2015 and it has become one of the most chased varieties in his line. Triple Wren Farms calls it a widely sought after favorite and stocks it knowing it will not last. Dubuque Dahlias enforces a limit of one per household, which says more about demand than any adjective could. The appeal is specific: a formal decorative with unusually fine, almost translucent petal quality in a color photographers cannot stop shooting. Wedding designers in particular hunt it for that silvery amethyst blush. Expect spring shop drops to clear in minutes at the better-known farms.

Growing notes, including the hard parts

Tory P is a small formal decorative, ADS classification 3004, with blooms in the 4 to 6 inch range on plants around 30 to 36 inches. That modest height makes it one of the easier sought-after varieties to support: corral netting or a light stake will do. Petal substance is the selling point, so shade cloth in hot climates helps protect the porcelain finish from scorch. Cut deep and early in the morning for wedding work. If you cannot land a tuber, Sweet Nathalie covers similar soft blush territory and is far easier to source, but it lacks the silvery lavender cast that makes Tory P read like fine china.

Sold out? Closest alternatives

No substitute is exact, and we say so in each profile. These are the varieties growers reach for when Bloomquist Tory P is gone.

Sources and references

Some fields on this profile are not yet verified and are shown as such rather than guessed. See how we source.