Maarn

Maarn is a Dutch variety with a passport problem. In Europe it circulates as Sylvia, while Maarn is the North American trade name, so the same honey-apricot ball lives under two identities depending on the catalog. Some US farms credit Swan Island as the source, but Swan Island appears to be the American introducer, not the originator, and the true Dutch hybridizer remains unrecorded. The year 2000 date comes from farm catalogs rather than a registry. None of this slows demand. The color, honey apricot deepening to tangerine, lands in the most-requested zone for fall weddings, and the plant produces enough that a few tubers go a long way. Idlewild's stock was sold out at last check. If you see Sylvia offered by a European seller, it is the same plant.

A workhorse, in Idlewild's exact words. Longfield Gardens reports prolific output, dozens of blossoms per week at peak, with long vase life on sturdy stems. Blooms are usually listed at 3 to 4 inches, though catalog claims range from 2 to 6, so expect honest variation. Longfield lists height at 30 to 40 inches while Idlewild measured 5.5 feet in their field, a wide spread that likely reflects climate and feeding. Plan a stake either way. The form is sold as a ball almost everywhere, though Idlewild lists it under formal decorative code 3003, and the rounded blooms sit close to that line. It suits market growers who need dependable orange volume, and it gives beginners a forgiving first dahlia that does not sulk.