Tararua Dahlias

31/08/2026

UPDATE

I have managed to get the first batch of preorders boxed up and now just waiting for the courier to pick up!

The latest sale orders will be boxed after the preorders, so if you are waiting for yours, know they are getting processed and will hopefully all be concluded by middle of September. So plenty of time before planting.

Also, many tubers are still waking up, so please don't take one look at your tubers, from any supplier in fact, and dismiss them as blind. Give them a chance, in fact the lunch bag method is quite successful if you wanted to give it a go. I will do a post on this shortly.

There's no harm in prepping your garden beds while you wait! Or starting some dahlia seedlings if you are needing a dahlia fix!

Roll on dahlia summer of 2026!!

07/08/2026

Sale is tonight, sorry, just running late thanks to dodgy internet and unexpected guest!! Will be up by 7:30pm!

Send a message to learn more

17/07/2026

Sale announcement!!

Friday, 07/08 at 7pm.

This sale will also FOR THE FIRST TIME include a range of Agdia virus tested plant tubers - look for the *Agdia* prefix for those customers that would prefer this assurance, and please note that they will be at a higher price point to reflect the cost of this testing! Non-tested plant tubers of these cultivars will also potentially be available.

Not all cultivars will be available, some I am holding back so I can put more growing emphasis into this year as I expand my garden beds.

Everything will remain in a "Sold out" status until an hour before the sale when the website will be locked so I can make inventory adjustments, there will be no need for a password - even though it will ask for one - as the site will unlock automatically at 7pm.

Posting of the tubers will begin 01/09.

Unfortunately, I won't be offering combined orders this time around. I am so sorry, but trying to combine orders during the presale turned into a logistical circus, and this one-woman show simply doesn't have enough clones to do it all again. 😅

Behind the scenes, I'm juggling a family comprising of a chronically ill husband + ADHD 5yo, a full-time job, and now two uni papers (apparently I enjoy making life interesting 😂). To keep everything running as smoothly as possible, each order will need to stay as it's placed.

Thank you so much for understanding and for supporting my little business—it genuinely means the world to me! ❤️

26/06/2026

What was your biggest and heaviest tuber?

This one weighed in at 1.2kg!

22/06/2026

TUBER GROWTHS

As I dig up the tubers, I came across a random tuber with what some people may consider a scary growth. But if you know what you are looking at, it becomes far less scary.

Blind Tubers - these can often make people cry Crown Gall!! But this is actually less common than what people think, often blind tubers are mistaken for something far more devastating.

Blind tuber growths happens when the tuber is trying hard to do what it is meant to do but has no viable growth point, so instead we get this monstrosity looking thing...

A good way to tell is by cutting the growth in half and if the contents appear like the inside of a tuber or potato then you've got a blind tuber growth, not crown gall; that, when cut, will appear nodulous and corky, nothing like the inside of a tuber.

Blind tubers are not contagious, they are not viral or bacterial, just an aberration of nature, which you can discard and carry on from!

Hope you find this picture and info useful. 🏵️🌼🍁

20/05/2026

Exciting announcement!

Over the past season, we’ve listened carefully to customer feedback and chatter on dahlia pages, and one message came through clearly — the health of our dahlias is a top priority for many of you. Because of this, we’ve invested in virus testing to help provide this peace of mind for your gardens.

At our next dahlia tuber sale (date still to be announced), we will be offering a selection of virus-tested dahlia tubers.

At this point we have only a small selection tested using Agdia ImmunoStrip Combo tests for:
- TSWV (Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus)
- TMV/TMC (To***co Mosaic-related viruses)
- CMV (Cucumber Mosaic Virus)
- INSV (Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus)

The tested varieties are:

Lady Darleen
Jowey Bianca
Hamari Rose
April Heather
Molly Raven
Hollyhill Calico
Bumble Rumble

Not all of the varieties above may be available in the sale as it will depend on overwintering and tuber production as well as my own needs, as I aim to expand next year into providing further virus tested varieties and stock.

All dahlias tubers of the above varieties sold in the presale are untested.

This testing process is a significant investment, both in time and cost, and as a result these tubers will be offered at a premium price point (don’t worry, we aren’t talking hundreds). We always aim to keep our pricing as fair and reasonable as possible, however the additional cost reflects the investment required to carry out this level of testing and provide higher health assurance stock.

We’re excited to be taking this step forward and look forward to sharing more details, including the sale date, very soon.

Thank you so much for your continued support of Tararua Dahlias

P.S - Untested plant varieties are also still available for those who do not want to pay the higher price point as I believe in offering both end of the spectrum.

P.P.S - Testing for DMV (Dahlia Mosaic Virus) requires a $20,000 fluoroscope — so that’s probably where I have to draw the line 😄

04/05/2026

What's happening this month for Dahlias!
May in Pahiatua.

With the cooler weather settling in around my area of the Manawatū/Tararua region, it’s just about time to start thinking about lifting dahlia tubers

Here’s what I do in my garden:

1. Let frost do its thing (or wait until foliage dies back)
If you haven’t had a proper frost yet, you can leave them a bit longer.
Once foliage turns black/brown and collapses, the plant has stored energy back into the tubers.
2. Cut them back
Cut stems down to about 10–15 cm above ground.
This helps you locate them later and reduces rot risk.

One big thing here is our damp and wet winters. If your soil is heavy or tends to stay wet, lifting tubers can help prevent rot. If you’ve got really free-draining soil, or raised beds you might get away with leaving them in the ground just make sure to cover them with straw or compost.

Just a reminder, every garden is different! Soil type, drainage, and microclimate all play a part, so this is simply what works well in my garden 😊

Would love to hear what others are doing with their dahlias this time of year!

Send a message to learn more

16/04/2026

Thank you for the response to Tararua Dahlia’s pre-sale — I’m honestly still picking my jaw up off the floor 🌸

You all really said “we love dahlias” and *meant it*. Orders flew in faster than I could refresh the page, and I am absolutely blown away by the support.

Every single order means the world to me (and to these soon-to-be blooming beauties). I can’t wait to get them through winter and into your gardens — it’s going to be a *very* dahlia-filled season 😍

I’ll also be holding another sale closer to that time with final numbers — so if you missed out this round, don’t panic just yet✨

Just a quick note — I’m still working through emails from those who selected the wrong courier option (we’ve all been there 😅). I’ll be getting through everyone as quickly as I can.

Please give me the weekend to work through all the orders and reach out to anyone who may have missed selecting a courier option or needs a quick fix. I promise I’ve got you 🌿✨

Again, thank you so much ❤️

15/04/2026

*PRE-SALE 7PM TONIGHT (16/04)*

If you were intending to have another look at my selection, I apologise but the shop will be locked until 7pm tonight to give me ample time to update my inventory and have a few sneaky looksie at my tubers still underground.

https://www.tararuadahlias.co.nz/ - click on "Buy Tubers & Seeds" button.

*PRE-SALE 7PM TONIGHT (16/04)*

14/04/2026

Just a reminder that the Pre-Sale will be this Thursday (16/04) at 7pm.

The sale site will go down for a few hours before hand to allow me to update the inventory then go live at 7pm, so have a look before then!

All seed sales will be posted hopefully by the end of the week, I needed to purchase more envelopes as I didn't have enough on hand for the volume of sales I received - so, thank you for your support