Ida Mae Dahlia Tubers

• Variety: Ida Mae
• Type: Decorative
• Colour: Wine-purple streaks over pale pink
• Flower size: 12–15cm (5–6in) — small to medium decorative
• Height: 90cm (3ft)
• Flowering: July to first frost with regular deadheading
• Good for: Cutting, borders, cottage gardens
• Sold as: Tubers (A-grade, re-graded by us)
• Plant outdoors: After last frost (late April to May)
• Delivered: Spring by next-day courier. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Ida Mae, a Show-Stopping Striped Dahlia

Flowers that make visitors do a double take are special. Ida Mae gets you with her wine-purple streaks over that pale pink base. Every petal is different, every flower its own little work of art. This is a bold dahlia. Those stripes are not at all subtle. They change colour and character depending on distance and light; from a metre away you might think Ida Mae is a warm mauve, but up close, the contrasting colours are magical.

The flowers can be up to 15 centimetres in diameter. They're fully double with the broad, flat petals you find in decorative dahlias. Flowering is continuous from July until the first frosts. And, like all dahlias, the more you cut, the more you get. At home, as long as the water is changed, she lasts six to seven days in a table arrangement.

Colour for Stone and White Linen

In our part of Somerset, where the stone is either honey-coloured or grey, Ida Mae is popular with the locals because her colouring works with both. Extending that grey theme, a great deal of wooden fencing fades quite quickly from brown to grey, and that makes a fantastic backdrop. And if you have enough flowers on the plant, which is often the case, and you choose to spread some white linen on the table under the pergola, there are very few dahlias that look better.

Pairing Ideas for Ida Mae

There are two schools of thought. Her indoors, who's an expert on Farrow and Ball, thinks one stripy dahlia is enough, which means you would plant this one (assuming you have other dahlias nearby) with plain colours in the white to cream to pink spectrum. Something like Arbatax would work well. A garden designer, customer (and friend of ours) maintains that stripes go with stripes. He recommends Tartan (blackcurrant with white stripes) or Mick's Peppermint (white with red-pink stripes). Whichever way you go, too many dahlias can be too much of a good thing. Ornamental grasses, which also give you movement, soften too many stripes.

Why Buy Your Dahlias from Us?

Julian grew his first dahlia from seed in about 1962. It was an unremarkable collarette which he kept going for nearly 20 years. When he started running Ashridge in 2003, dahlias were one of his first introductions to the range. Obsessed. So we only buy A-grade tubers from specialist Dutch growers, and we grade them again on arrival, before they go anywhere near a courier's van. They are simply the best. Browse the complete dahlia collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will every flower have stripes?

Every flower will be striped, but no two are identical. Cooler weather deepens the purple; hot spells soften it. The pale pink base stays consistent throughout the season.

Is Ida Mae good for cutting?

Very good. Strong stems, ideal flower size for arrangements, and those stripes add something no other flower quite matches. She lasts six to seven days in water.

What is a decorative dahlia?

Fully double flowers with broad, flat petals. Ida Mae's 12–15cm blooms sit in the small-to-medium range, which makes her more versatile than the giants for both borders and cutting. Our types of dahlias guide covers all the flower forms.

Can I grow Ida Mae in a pot?

She'll grow in a large pot but she's at her best in the ground. For a striped dahlia in a container, Checkers (80cm) is a better fit. Our dahlias in pots guide has the detail.

Do dahlias come back every year?

Yes. In mild areas, mulch and leave them in the ground. In cold or wet areas, lift the tubers after the first frost and store them frost-free until spring. Our overwintering guide covers both approaches.