Tangerine Dream

No hybridizer, year or ADS registration turned up for Tangerine Dream in any source, and the name is a common one in horticulture, so shop by photograph rather than by name alone. Sellers repeatedly compare it to Peaches and Cream, which is a fair likeness in pattern if not in color, and it is worth knowing that two of the catalog descriptions in circulation share near-identical wording, which means they are one copy lineage rather than two independent observations. Striped dahlias in general carry a warning worth repeating: the striping is a variable trait, and a plant that stripes beautifully one year may throw a run of solid blooms the next.

Tangerine Dream is a striped bicolor grown for the pattern, and the pattern is not stable, which is the thing to know before you plant it for an order. The orange and white balance shifts across the season and no two blooms stripe identically. Heirloom Soul reports the useful field habit: it frequently carries two to three full size blooms, sometimes four, on a single stem, which is a branching pattern that either gives you a ready-made spray or costs you stem length, depending on what you need. Blooms run 4 to 6 inches on a plant of about 3.5 to 4 feet, so it is shorter than most decoratives and needs less staking. Pinch at 12 inches. Lily's Garden lists Canada as the country of origin and a summer to first frost season.