Dahlia Dinner Plate - Otto's Thrill - 1 bulb - Preorder for shipment mid to late September

📦 Pre-Order Notice: This product is available on pre-order. Bulbs will be dispatched between mid and end September 2026. Place your order now to secure your stock.

Dahlia Dinner Plate – Otto's Thrill | 1 Bulb

Magnificent, awe-inspiring, and utterly unforgettable — Otto's Thrill is a dinner plate dahlia that lives up to every syllable of its name. Its blooms are simply breathtaking: enormous, plate-sized flowers of the softest, most luminous pink that open with a quiet grandeur and hold the gaze of everyone who passes. Majestic in character, lavish in scale, and deeply thrilling to grow, this is a dahlia that transforms any garden into something truly extraordinary from December right through to May.

One of the most celebrated dinner plate dahlias in the world, Otto's Thrill produces enormous, fully double blooms of a delicate, warm pink that deepen subtly toward the centre. Its vast, perfectly formed flowers make it the undisputed star of any cutting garden, floral arrangement, or garden border where it is planted. A single stem is enough to fill a vase and stop a room. This listing includes 1 bulb of this legendary variety.

Growing Guide

Sun Exposure: Full sun
Planting Time: October – December
Flowering Time: December – May
Dormant Period: May – August
Lifting Time: July
Type: Tuberous root
Mature Height: 20 – 180 cm
Planting Depth: 8 cm (do not separate tubers from the clump)
Plant Spacing: 15 – 40 cm apart
Watering: Every 3–4 days, 10 minutes per session

Soil & Position

Dahlias thrive in well-draining soil. If your garden has heavy clay, incorporate sand and compost to improve drainage and aeration. A layer of mulch over the soil surface will help retain moisture between waterings. Select a position in full sun — they can tolerate midday shade, which also reduces their water requirements. When planting, ensure tubers are positioned with the growing points facing upward.

Care & Maintenance

Feed regularly with Hadeco Bulb Food to promote vigorous growth and abundant blooms. Taller varieties may require staking as they develop. Routine pruning encourages fresh growth, and pinching out the two side buds flanking the central bud will channel the plant’s energy into producing one magnificent, oversized flower — particularly rewarding with a variety of this scale.

As the season draws to a close, yellowing foliage is entirely natural — remove it as it dies back. To lift bulbs for winter storage, cut stems approximately 5 cm above ground level in July and carefully lift the tuberous root. Well-nourished bulbs will yield a generous increase in tuber size and quantity around the crown. Keep roots completely dry during storage.

Should you observe deformed growth, stunted development, or mottled foliage, remove and discard the affected plant immediately — these are indicators of infection.