Sara Ljunggren and Svartnäsets Nougat

Sara Ljunggren is a Swedish musical theatre artist who sang and danced on the finest stages in Sweden with leading roles in musicals such as Mamma Mia, Sugar, Some Like it Hot, and Singin’ in the Rain… and then discovered the beauty of dahlias!

Now, Sara has one dancing foot on stage and the other one steadily rooted in the soil. 

Her varieties have quickly gained recognition in the dahlia world for their exceptional beauty and resilience to the coastal climate where Sara grows. . Her instagram account @fruperenn means ”Mrs. Perennial” in Swedish, and it often features her exquisite dahlias which bloom along the Swedish coastline: a testament to her passion, creativity, and deep connection to the sea.

In October, Steve and I traveled to Sara’s home on the Black Peninsula in Sweden to meet her, her lovely family, and her dahlia gardens. We are incredibly honored to be growing Sara’s dahlia ‘Svartnäset Nougat’ (click here for the pronunciation), and to have the opportunity to introduce it to our flower friends in the U.S. and in Canada. You can be sure we’ll be putting it in every possible arrangement this year, and splashing it all over our own Instagram, so keep an eye out for it!

Sara’s dahlia prefix “Svartnäset” means “Black Peninsula” in Swedish, and it springs from the name of the place where she lives, grows, and hybridizes her dahlias. It’s a harsh coastal environment with the salty sea rumbling close by. Svartnäsets dahlias are “born” enduring the strong winds and heavy rain, and still they gloriously display the signature beauty and resilience that IS dahlias.

The Story Behind Svartnäsets Nougat

”When this dahlia turned up in my seedling patch, I really had to take a closer look. I stopped in my tracks, zoomed in and thought ”Huh! That one’s … really special!”, not even sure of what I saw. The flower was so hard to describe. I had never seen anything like it before. The coloring was truly unique and beautiful. This nougaty, velvety top of the petals contrasted amazingly well with the vivid, dramatic, purple deep color at the back, creating a depth in the center and a beauty that was breathtaking. The sturdiness of the long, dark stems and the strong bloom attachment was all I could ever ask for. Rock solid! It ticked all the boxes for me. 

It also had this little button in the middle that was not green, but gold! And gold I had. Dahlia gold. 

I started to post pictures of it on the internet. The response I got was overwhelming. People went crazy about it, both professional hybridizers and home gardeners. I humorously started to call it ”The dahlia who broke the Internet” when I talked about it with my husband. But then I realized there was actually some truth to it.

And an idea came to mind that I couldn’t let go of: What if someone could take it on in the USA, the country where dahlias are so loved and cherished, and bring it out to gardens everywhere for more people to enjoy?

I had nothing to lose. I sent an e-mail to Sarah and Steve and the rest is history. Dahlia history. 

At Triple Wren Farms, I hope that my first dahlia introduction ’Svartnäsets Nougat’ will become a classic: a dahlia that people will recognize in a blink of an eye and love for many, many years to come. 

I really feel that the Nougat is in the best possible hands at Triple Wren Farms. There are no other people on this planet that are better suited for this mission than Sarah and Steve and their crew. 

I cannot wait for you to have Svartnäsets Nougat in your gardens and love it as much as I do!

Lots of Swedish dahlia love! 

Sara”