Cafe au Lait

This is the most hunted dahlia in the world, and the dominant wedding flower of the last decade. The Dutch firm Fa. D. Bruidegom of Baarn introduced it in 1967, though a 1968 date also circulates; the firm is long out of business, which only adds to the mystique. It grew quietly for decades until Floret's Erin Benzakein photographed it into fame, and Floret itself admits that finding tubers is tough. Old House Gardens and Triple Wren routinely sell out. If you miss it, the family and the palette offer paths in. Cafe au Lait Royal adds purple streaking but gives up the quiet latte calm. Cafe au Lait Rose trades blush for saturated cerise. Sweet Nathalie covers the champagne tones at half the size, though its blooms face slightly down. Breakout matches the dinnerplate scale, but its heads droop.

Cafe au Lait grows 30 to 48 inches tall and earns its reputation in the field as well as the vase. Triple Wren reports a very productive plant with long, strong stems that blooms from midseason to frost. The honest catch is consistency. Blooms drift between blush, ivory, champagne, and dusty rose, often on the same plant, so growers who need an exact match for an event should plant extra and harvest selectively. Blooms run 6 to 10 inches, so stake early, well before the dinnerplate heads load up after rain. Pinch at 8 to 12 inches for branching, and lift tubers in cold zones. It suits cut flower growers and wedding farms first, but it is forgiving enough for a home gardener who wants one famous plant done right.