Danique Dahlia Tuber
All the literature on this new variety said it was "red", and sure, I get it, we have a to classify things somehow for the benefit of common reference--I have a lot of red goats out in my pasture, too, who in actuality are varying shades of lovely rich browns--but saying that Danique is red misses the main reason why this dahlia is so freaking gorgeous. Her petal reverse has notes of plum or wine, while the petal-tops are a beautiful brick red/burnt sienna color. Like a 5.5 to 6-inch formal decorative version of Brown Sugar. So perfect for fall and all the rich tones the season brings.
What is true, is that she's hard to photograph to get accurate color representation, most photos online of this dahlia are over-exposed and blown way out to bright red, hot pink, or dark orange, and they all miss. When I was deciding whether or not to order her, I saw the terrible photos and had a hunch about how spectacular she might be--so glad I took a chance! I tried really hard to nail the color in these photos, and I'm not showing you all the fails I had to go through to get these, just the good ones.
Pro-tip: put your face in your flower photos--phones know not to make our faces hot pink, and so it'll bring the flower along for the ride into correct color-balance.
The second to last photo is Danique is shown with Sam Hopkins.
In other details, she's a bit on the shorter side, but did well without support and still made great cutting stems without falling over. And is on the early side, which we always like.
You're going to love her!