Dahlia 'Café au Lait'
Orders placed before 1 March 2026
You can expect your order in February/March 2026
Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2026
You can expect your order in March/April 2026
Orders placed 16 April - 26 May 2026
You can expect your order within 10 business days
UK orders over £50
Free shipping
UK orders under £50
£4.99
Northern Ireland orders under £50
£5.99
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Our top-size tubers are sourced from carefully selected growers to deliver bigger, healthier, more vibrant blooms. Perfect for gardeners who don’t settle, bigger tubers mean more impressive flowers and a garden that truly stands out. Learn more
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— Ship carbon neutral;
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Description
Dahlia 'Café au Lait' has earned its place as one of the most admired dinnerplate dahlias, and one look at its vast blooms explains why. Each flower can reach up to 20cm across, opening slowly to reveal softly layered petals in ever-changing shades of cream. Sometimes Dahlia 'Café au Lait' leans towards warm coffee tones, at other times it blushes with pale pink or ivory, often with a teasing hint of rose on individual petals. No two blooms are quite alike, making Dahlia 'Café au Lait' a constant source of quiet anticipation in the summer garden. The strong stems hold the flowers proudly above lush green foliage, creating a sense of generosity without feeling overpowering.
Flowering from mid-summer until the first frosts, Dahlia 'Café au Lait' is wonderfully easy to grow in full sun, rewarding even modest care with an abundance of blooms. It is equally at home in a well-considered border or grown specifically for cutting, where Dahlia 'Café au Lait' has become a firm favourite with florists and gardeners alike. Butterflies are drawn to the open flowers, while gardeners appreciate how effortlessly Dahlia 'Café au Lait' elevates planting schemes with its soft, neutral palette. Lift the tubers in colder areas, replant in spring, and this much-loved dahlia will return year after year, each season offering its own subtle variations.
In French, café au lait literally means 'coffee with milk', which perfectly resembles the soft creamy colour of Dahlia 'Café au Lait'.
Key features
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Good for cutting
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Comes back every year
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Thrives well in full sun
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Packed in paper bags
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Low maintenance
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May need winter cover
Specs & details
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Botanical name
Dahlia 'Café au Lait'
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Dahlia division
Decorative dahlia (Div 5)
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Flower colour
Cream, pink
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Tuber size
1
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Established height
1-1.2m
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Established spread
30-50cm
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Plant spacing
5 tubers per m2
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Leaf colour
Green
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Habit
Upright
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Life cycle
Perennial
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Hardiness
Half hardy
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Years to establish
1st year
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Sunlight
Full sun
Partial shade -
Position
Sheltered
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Suitable for
Large containers
Borders
Gravel gardens
Coastal gardens
Cottage gardens
Low maintenance gardens
Cut flower gardens -
Soil acidity
Any
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Soil moisture
Free draining
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Soil type
Loam
Sandy
Multipurpose compost
Loam-based compost -
Growing skill
Easy to grow
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Scented
No
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Pollinator-friendly
No
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Mouse resistant
No
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Rabbit resistant
No
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Deer resistant
No
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Toxicity
No report
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- Planting
- Flowering
Useful information
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Dahlia 'Café au Lait' is half hardy, which means that it should be kept frost free over winter and during spring.
For best results, start your dahlia tubers in temporary pots in a
greenhouse in March or April to grow on to transplant outside later in the season—this will give them a head start.Alternatively, you can plant the Dahlia 'Café au Lait' tubers directly outside in May.
Plant with the stump of last year's stem facing upwards. The tuber should be fully submerged but with the stump just below the soil surface.
Plant one tuber per 8-10" pot if growing on during spring. When
planting outside, space the tubers around 30-50cm apart from each other. Compact varieties don’t need so much space.Water-in thoroughly after planting and continue to water regularly once in full growth, but only when the soil appears to be nearly dry.
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Orders placed before 1 March 2026
You can expect your order in Feb/March 2026Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2026
You can expect your order in April 2026Orders placed 16 April - 15 May 2026
You can expect your order within 10 business days
Perfect companions
Dahlias in 60 seconds
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