Fairway Spur Dahlia Tubers

• Variety: Fairway Spur
• Type: Decorative (giant/dinnerplate)
• Colour: Soft apricot and pink with bronze tones towards the centre
• Flower size: 25 to 28cm across (up to 38cm with disbudding)
• Height: 120cm
• Spread: 75cm
• Flowering: July to November
• Cutting: Yes. Show-stopping in arrangements, just a few stems fill a vase
• Exhibition: Yes. Top-class show variety
• RHS AGM: No
• Sold as: Single tubers, hand-graded, Dutch first-class quality
• Plant outdoors: March to July, when soil reaches 15°C (typically May in most of the UK)
• Delivered: From March. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Fairway Spur: The Biggest Dahlia We Sell

If size matters, Fairway Spur delivers. The standard flowers are 25 to 28cm across. Disbud the side shoots, feed with dilute tomato fertiliser, and you can push individual blooms to 38cm. That's bigger than a dinner plate. That's a serving platter.

The colour is a hazy blend of soft apricot, pink and bronze, with the warmth deepening towards the centre and the outer petals paling. The petals twist gently, giving each massive flower a slightly shaggy, informal quality rather than the rigid geometry you see on a ball dahlia. It's shabby-chic at scale, if that isn't a contradiction in terms. The flowers sit on stout green stems above deep green foliage at 120cm tall.

It's a top-class exhibition variety. Serious show growers disbud to one bloom per stem and feed heavily. In a garden border, leave it to its own devices and you'll still get spectacular flowers, just not quite at show-bench dimensions. Either way, just a few stems in a vase make a statement that fills a room.

Placing Fairway Spur

A flower this big needs careful placing. Give it space at the back of a sunny border where it can be the star without overwhelming smaller neighbours. Plant with darker, smaller-flowered companions in front: the deep maroon globes of Cornel (ball, 120cm) provide colour depth and a contrasting form, while Nescio (blood-red pompon, 100cm) gives tight dark jewels against the huge pale heads. Purple-leaved shrubs like Cotinus (smoke bush) or dark ornamental grasses make a superb backdrop. Avoid planting it with other dinnerplates or the border becomes a competition rather than a composition.

Why buy from Ashridge?

Our dahlia tubers are Dutch first-class quality, imported direct and hand-graded. We reject undersized tubers so you get a clump with viable eyes, ready to grow. Delivered by next-day courier from March, with our one-year plant guarantee, Which? Best Plant Supplier, and human support from the team in Somerset. Browse our full decorative dahlia range or the complete dahlia collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the flowers really reach 38cm?

With disbudding and heavy feeding, yes. Remove all side buds so the plant channels its energy into a single flower per stem. Feed weekly with dilute tomato fertiliser from June. Water consistently. In a show-grower's hands, 38cm is achievable. In a garden border without disbudding, expect 25 to 28cm, which is still enormous.

Will Fairway Spur grow in a pot?

Not really. At 120cm tall with flowers the size of a dinner plate, it's too big, too hungry and too top-heavy for a container. It needs deep border soil, serious staking, and room to spread to 75cm. If you want a large dahlia for a pot, the Cafe au Lait family are also dinnerplates but slightly more manageable. Honestly though, none of the giants are happy in pots. Our container guide covers what works.

Does Fairway Spur need staking?

Absolutely. With flowers this large, a gust of wind or a heavy shower can snap stems. Put sturdy stakes in at planting time and tie the main stems as they grow. For exhibition blooms, individual bamboo canes per stem give the best support.

Is Fairway Spur good for showing?

One of the best. It's a giant decorative class dahlia with the size, colour and form that judges look for. Disbud to one flower per stem, feed consistently, and grow in rich, well-watered soil. Transport show blooms carefully: a flower this size is fragile.

How do I protect the flowers from rain?

Large flat-petalled dahlias hold water in their blooms, and Fairway Spur is no exception. Heavy rain will damage open flowers. Picking flowers before forecast rain and enjoying them indoors is the pragmatic answer. The plant will produce more. Staking prevents stem breakage from the extra weight. Full growing advice in our dahlia growing guide.