Terra Nova
CleanCut™ Dahlia Linda's Baby (36 cell half tray)
CleanCut™ Dahlia Linda's Baby is a productive ball dahlia that typically grows around 3-4 feet tall, producing symmetrical, rounded blooms approximately 3-4 inches across on strong stems. Its peach-pink flowers can shift toward softer pink and apricot in warm weather or richer coral tones as temperatures cool, giving this popular cut-flower variety a changing palette throughout the season.
USDA Hardiness Zone(s): 9+
Size (HT/W): 4'/2'
Exposure: Full Sun
Bloom Time(s): July to Frost
Introducing CleanCut™ Dahlias
We’re excited to introduce CleanCut™ Dahlias from TERRA NOVA® Nurseries: actively growing, rooted Dahlia cuttings produced through tissue culture and guaranteed virus-free. Order them when you need them, ready to grow!
That’s right: these Dahlias are guaranteed virus-free and true to type. TERRA NOVA® has taken classic, tried-and-true Dahlia varieties and used tissue culture to produce clean plant material, giving growers the chance for a fresh start every season.
Why does this matter? Viruses can persist in stored dahlia tubers and spread between plants through infected plant material, contaminated tools, and insect vectors. Introducing clean stock is an important step toward healthier and more floriferous crops, but it’s not a complete substitute for good sanitation and pest management. If you’re growing dahlias from saved tubers, take time to review best practices for preventing virus transmission and protecting your new plants.
Here's the other advantage: you may not need to dig, store, or divide tubers at all. While you can still dig and save these dahlias if you prefer, their price point makes growing them as annuals a practical alternative. Instead of spending time and labor on overwintering tubers and preparing them for another season, you can order fresh, actively growing plugs each spring.
Growing Conditions and Natural Variation
Dahlia height, vigor, bloom size, color, and flower form can vary based on growing conditions. Dahlias generally perform best with cooler growing temperatures, consistent irrigation, and adequate nutrition. Hot mid-summer weather can produce different flower colors and forms than the shorter days and cooler temperatures of late summer and fall, and these natural variations are normal in Dahlias. Plants will remain true to their variety, but individual blooms may differ in appearance throughout the season. Farmer Bailey is not responsible for natural variations in plant growth, bloom color, or flower form, or for poor performance or failure to thrive resulting from growing conditions or cultural practices. Please read our Dahlia Growing Guide.
Growing Guides
| Common Name | Dahlia |
| Genus | Dahlia |
| Species | Dahlia Pinnata |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Life Cycle | Tender tuberous herbaceous perennial, can be grown as an annual. |
| Format | Plugs |
| Plug Care | Harden off before planting out. Do not allow plugs to become rootbound - plant soon after receiving or pot up into larger cells. Keep soil evenly moist - avoid drought and oversaturation. |
| Netting / Staking | Dahlias can grow quite large and benefit from staking. For small numbers of plants, individual staking will suffice. For rows of plants, utilize T-posts and heavy duty twine to stake the entire row. Some growers have found success using the Florida weave method. |
| Temperature Range | Extremely frost sensitive at all stages - best transplanted after soil has warmed in the spring and nights stay above 55F. |
| Spacing | 12-18" between plants, 2-3' between rows. The tighter they are planted, the less airflow between plants and therefore greater risk of fungal issues. |
| Soil Preference |
Fertile, loose, well draining soil of neutral pH. Dahlias benefit from soil amended with composts and granular fertilizer, or a light feed with irrigation every two weeks. Heavy, saturated soil can initiate root rot. |
| Day Length | Dahlias are facultative short day plants. This means the plants will bulk up and be mostly vegetative during the long days of early summer and budding will be initiated as the days shorten. They require full sun conditions to thrive. |
| Pinching | Pinch one time, when the plants reach approximately 12 inches in height. Remove the main shoot down to the 2nd or 3rd set of leaves to initiate the development of side shoots. This will delay flowering by a couple of weeks but the plants will be much more floriferous later in the season. |
| When to Plant | Spring, after the danger of frost has passed and the temperature is expected to stay above 55F. |
| Harvesting | Expect to harvest the first flowers approximately 90 days from transplant. Dahlia buds do not continue to open after harvesting and the flowers in general do not have the longest vase life. Cut when the flowers are approximately 3/4 of the way open. Cut deeply for a long stem, do not be afraid to remove 2 or 3 leaf nodes with each stem. This provides the highest quality cut stems and encourages the plant to continue branching near the base. |
| Post Harvest Care | Cut early in the day before the temperature climbs. Plunge cut stems immediately into cool water. Keep in a cooler until ready to sell. Vase life is highly dependent on variety - here at Farmer Bailey we try to source high quality cut flower varieties for the longest vase life possible. |
| Diseases / Insects |
Dahlia mosaic virus and crown gall are two highly infectious diseases that are currently common in dahlia collections across the world. Our plants have been screened and cleaned of these diseases through the meticulous process of tissue culture. Powdery mildew and botrytis (grey mold) may be observed during extended periods of cool wet weather, or late in the season when powdery mildew runs rampant. Increased airflow between plants helps prevent or slow the spread of fungal diseases, as well as drip irrigation to avoid wetting the foliage. Thrips, Japanese beetles, tarnished plant bugs, cucumber beetles, earwigs and slugs are just a few of the many insects that feed on dahlia plants and flowers. |
| Bailey's Notes |
Dahlias grown from cuttings do not always produce a tuber in the fall - sometimes all of the energy goes into flower production. To avoid the labor and costs of digging and dividing dahlia tubers every year, consider growing dahlias as annuals - the price per plant is much cheaper when purchased as plugs compared to tubers. Our plugs are guaranteed virus and bacteria free, which is always a risk with purchasing tubers from untested stock. |
| Resources |
Order Minimums and Tray Sizes
All TERRA NOVA® plugs are grown in a 36 cell half tray. The minimum order is 6 total half trays (an combination of varieties).
Orders for multiple ship weeks must be placed separately.
Patents & Plant Tags
Unauthorized propagation of varieties that are patented is strictly prohibited.
If you are purchasing these plugs with the intent to resell them, you must also purchase tags. Upon adding items to your cart, you will be prompted to add tags for each plant in the order, at the cost of $0.13 per tag. This is applied to your entire order.