Labyrinth

Labyrinth came from A. C. Koot in the Netherlands in 2013 and rose about as fast as a dahlia can. Floret wrote that it was like nothing else they had ever grown, and that line followed the variety everywhere. The draw is the color, a golden bronze and raspberry swirl that photographs differently in every light and slots into the same warm, romantic palettes that made Cafe au Lait famous. Demand has outrun supply at smaller farms, and Idlewild has listed it sold out. A sport called Labyrinth Two Tone exists and circulates under its own name, so check which one you are buying before tubers ship. Among the most requested wedding dahlias of the past decade, it sits right behind the Cafe au Lait family in how often growers get asked for it.

Labyrinth is a vigorous plant that runs about 48 inches and, per Floret, throws a staggering number of large blooms for a dahlia in this size class. Idlewild lists it as a B sized informal decorative at 6 to 8 inches, while Floret describes blooms at 8 to 10, so expect dinnerplate presence either way. Vase life lands around five days. Give it a strong stake from planting, pinch at 8 to 12 inches, and feed it, since a plant this productive at this bloom size pulls hard on the soil. Stems are long enough for serious cut work. There is no glaring flaw on record, which is rare for a variety this popular. It suits cut flower growers, wedding designers, and anyone chasing the swirled bronze and raspberry color that nothing else quite delivers.