Floret Farm's Discovering Dahlias is a tutorial and style guide to growing and using dahlias presented by Erin Benzakein. Due out 9th March 2021 from Chronicle Books, it's 224 pages (print edition) and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Dahlias are wonderful flowers in the garden from old fashioned cottage gardens, to formal stately homes (and everything in between). This is a solid guide to selecting, using, propagating, and succeeding with dahlias. The book is laid out logically and information is easy to find (there's a solid index to contents in the appendices). The chapters on storing and cold-weather care and propagating tubers are useful and botanically correct. There's a good chapter on designing with dahlias with lushly gorgeous cut flower arrangements with very specific varietal info. The last 40% of the book is given over to the best dahlia variety selector arranged by colors which I've ever seen. The book is gorgeously photographed clearly in full color throughout. The author/editors have also included a resource guide for sourcing materials.

This would make a superlative selection for library or gardening group acquisition, gifting, or for the home gardener's (or gardening professional's) library. Gorgeous and inspiring.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Great reference book about growing dahlias. I will use lots of the information I learned this Summer! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This is the perfect companion to the intermediate or advanced gardener’s self-education. The author does a fabulous job curating a book filled with useful advice and gorgeous pictures of dahlias. All in all a perfect read for the gardener looking to up their game with reliable summer blooms.

**The PDF that I enjoyed was an advanced reader copy granted to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own and not that of the publisher.**

So excited to get the chance to review this book. I follow Floret Farms on Facebook and have heard about and seen some of the photos during the creation of this book so it was wonderful to see it all together! Now I want to own my own copy because she tells how to take care of dahlias in such great detail. Tons of information, incredibly stunning photography of flowers, and easy to read and follow tips.

Thank you so very much NetGalley for the chance to read Floret Farm's Discovering Dahlias by Erin Benzakein with Jill Jorgensen and Julie Chai. #DiscoveringDahlias #NetGalley

I am interested in learning more about raising dahlias. I love the large blooms. I learned more than I could ever imagine about growing dahlias. I learned about the different colors and sizes. The photos of the blooms were beautiful and give me hope that I might could raise some beautiful blooms as well. I loved all the tips and tricks that are included in the book. Now to grow some so I can use some in bouquets in my house.

After having read Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden several years ago, I was delighted to see this newest book. As expected, the photos in this book are stunning. Even just looking through the visual alone would be a delight. What makes this book stand out besides the beauty of the photos is how packed with information it is. From growing, dividing, and even arranging dahlias, there is so much detail. Since I have no interest in having a flower farm, I thought that I was just going to enjoy flipping through the pages, but after learning more about dahlias, I think that some varieties would work well in a home garden. Definitely a beautiful, informative book!

Floret Flower Farm is out with its third book on the growing and cultivation of dahlias, and it’s a magnificent gift to one of the most beautiful cut flowers. Painted with a rainbow of colors, dahlias are often found in wedding bouquets and in gardens providing glorious blooms to be enjoyed during the summer and fall. For those interested in growing and designing with dahlias, Benzakein offers the ultimate guide with glorious photos of fields of dahlias, bouquets by the armful, and photos worth purchasing the book if you want to create beauty in your life. If you want to try growing dahlias, there’s detailed information on propagating, dividing, labeling and storing the dahlia tuber for the beginner and advanced gardener. Serious dahlia gardeners may want to try hybridizing their own variety by collecting seeds to create more colors and varieties, which is described in detail.

A second section of the book is dedicated to designing with dahlias. With a directory of over 360 varieties, these stunning flowers are grouped by color, form and the wow factor. Dahlias come in a multitude of sizes and shapes, and details of these criteria make it easy for the reader to pick their favorite color or form. Each style is shown in a bouquet to visualize the effect of each variety and its beauty.

Author, farmer and grower Erin Benzakein is generous in her praise and sharing of dahlias and offers this quote: “But the best part of all is having the opportunity at the end of each season to pass this magic on to others.” This book is the definitive guide for casual and serious dahlia gardeners or for anyone who wants to enjoy and cherish the beauty of flowers year-round.

My sincere thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a drool worthy book! I knew next to nothing about dahlias because I live in a climate that is typically not great for growing them, SE Texas. In recent years I've seen several Texas gardeners give dahlias a whirl and have decent success, which has made me want to dip my toes in.

This book from Floret Farm is a great primer to getting to know more about dahlias and their cultivation needs as well as learning some of the beautiful cultivars that are currently being grown. Paired with phenomenal photography, this is an excellent reference or coffee table book for any gardener!

I am, like many others, trapped in a small space for the past year because of the pandemic. Reading this book was like slipping away to a distant land where I have the space to grow some of the most beautiful flowers imaginable. I have been enamoured with dahlias for years and the simple but thorough approach this book brings really helped solidify my dream of having a huge flower garden one day. Great as a coffee table book but better as one I’ll find myself flipping and annotating through for years to come.

Floret Farm's Discovering Dahlias is a lovely introduction to growing the species; the photographs are particularly inspiring. The book broadly covers everything you might need to know, but is not exhaustive. The variety finder is the real treasure, which presents a catalog of dahlia varieties by color.

Last year I bought my first Dahlia and I fell in love. I knew very little about the flower. I ran across Floret Farm's on Instagram and it immediately peaked my interest in dahlias more then it had been. Then enters this book. If you enjoy dahlias I really feel you need to purchases this book. Everything is covered that you might ever need to know. The organization of this book if amazing, the writing is on point, the photos are to die for, and the information is everything you need to know. I can not wait until spring to try what I have learned. My mother is also a dahlia fan and I plan on getting her this book. There are so many tidbits that will help you along the way. I am just your average gardener and I feel this book is a must have. I will be buying multiple copies for gifts. This book is the complete package, loaded with great information, on growing, color choice, varieties, storage and dividing. and the pictures are amazing.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book!

There's lots of information on growing dahlias. It's a thorough guide that covers sizes, shapes, how to grow and trim them, maintaining tubers, and even information on putting together beautiful bouquets! The pictures are stunning and there is a lot of useful information. It's a helpful look at all the work that goes into growing dahlias. The bouquets are really nice too because the book breaks down each piece.

This is a great and beautiful book!

Absolutely stunning and comprehensive guide to dahlias. So many varieties to consider growing and much information on how to grow them well. The photography in the book is gorgeous. I found the information on arranging the flowers very interesting and useful.
Now, if only the snow would melt so I can plant. Definitely ordering some dahlias!

This is a stunning book.
When I was first married and owner our first home, one of our neighbor was dividing some dahlias and gave me some - they all came up -my husband loved them- and for the next 10year they just kept doing their thing and blooming their head off. A devastating bushfire put and end to those. I only just rediscovered them 2 yrs ago, different area, different soil and not doing so well until I was given this advanced readers copy to review.
From going on luck and gut feeling, I can now learn and understand the basics of growing these fabulous flower.
Dahlias went out of fashion for a few years, but I am so pleased to see that they are coming back beautiful, bigger and better.
About this book - firstly it is beautifully presented,and starts of with a section on understanding dahlias - size, colour and form. Then sections on Growing and care, harvesting, digging/dividing, and storing. Followed by cold weather care, anatomy of a tuber, storage and designing
The final part of the book is about varieties compiled in colours, and they are magnificant - stunning amount, beautiful forms and colours
As a learning tool, this book is amazing and very easy to follow, fabulous photos and easy to understand explanations. As a tabletop book it is fabulous. I have learnt so much and hopefully my 40 or so dahlias I have will thrive and benefit from my reading..I really can't stress enough how good this book is.

Wow...,, wow.... and wow. What a gorgeous book! Grow some dahlia’s they look beautiful! This book is so picturesque that it completely blew my mind!

What did I like! I was completely gobsmacked by the amazing photography and schematic color of the gorgeous flowers. Such a devastating array of color! Makes you want to grow your own variety! The book is eye pleasing and gives detailed instructions on how to grow these gorgeous stems. I will definitely be trying to grow some!

Would I recommend or buy? If this isn’t a coffee table beauty I don’t know what is! This was a delightful find I recommend to anyone. Anyone! Such beauty should be shared! Gorgeous book! Five stars! I would cherish a copy!

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review! Gorgeous book and high praise!

Really beautiful book, filled with amazing photographs of stunning flowers. I loved the attention to detail and how the information was organized. The book was very educational but stunning enough to be set on the coffee table.

This is a gorgeous book filled with luscious photographs along with easy-to-follow directions on how to grow dahlias from tubers, cuttings and seeds. There is also a with a list of the author’s recommended dahlia varieties divided by color. Truly a don’t miss “Wow!” publication! After reading it I plan on buying other books by this author.

This is a lushly illustrated guide to dahlias that provides detailed information about how to grow, propagate, store and cut them, with lots of beautiful pictures. There is a sort of high end floral catalog feel to the second half of it with varieties pictured by color if you want to order specific looks, colors, sizes, etc. The photos are gorgeous but they're taken from the author's beautiful dahlia farm. I would have loved to see photos of dahlias being used well in gardens as well. This will be a valuable book for anybody who'd like to start growing dahlias, learn more about them, or find some new varieties.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

This book is absolutely gorgeous and full of such great information. This is going to be such a useful resource for flower growers and those wanting to get into dahlias. I love how the book has information for beginners and up to expert level for people who are more familiar with the plants and have more skills and expertise.

I've been following Floret Flowers on Instagram for a while now and when I saw this book I had to check it out. I am a sucker for beautiful flower displays, and there is just something about dahlias. I had NO idea there were so many kinds! I likely won't be growing any of my own at this point, but I did enjoy the section on flower arranging. And honestly, just reading this book for the beautiful images is also worth it!