Have you ever wondered how dahlias make seeds? Here’s an explanation of the different parts of the dahlia that make the seeds.
Amazing seedlings can come from any form of dahlia, but it’s easiest to see the parts that make the seeds on an open-faced dahlia form, so that’s what we’ll use to show you, but all dahlia forms have these parts. Dahlias are actually composite flowers, that contain both disc florets in the center and larger ray florets (which are what we think of as petals in this form. Fully double dahlias have what we think of as petals as disc florets as well!). The seed-making parts (stamen, carpals, and ovaries) are found in the disc florets.
Pollinators help a flower’s stamens release their pollen, and carry pollen from one flower to another, so that the ovaries can be fertilized and produce seeds.
Start to leave some of your seeds on the plant to ripen, mature, and form seed pods about 6 weeks before your first frost date.