
Dahlia Wizard of Oz is a pompon dahlia (read more about the different types of dahlias here), with a beautiful delicate pearly pink colouring.
As a pompon, it has a fairly small double flower head (2-3 inches across), in a round, or globular, shape and its petals (technically its ray florets) are tubular or rounded inwards (involute) for most of their length.
Dahlia Wizard of Oz is not one of the tallest dahlias, only reaching 60cm to 90cm (2 or 3 feet tall), but it has attractive green foliage and can produce many flowers heads. For that reason it is often grown for cutting.
Plant Notes: Wizard of Oz Dahlia

Family
Asteracea

Plant Type
Dahlias are tuberous herbaceous perennials.


Aspect
Dahlias prefer full sun, but can cope with partial shade.

Eventual Size
Height approx 80cm (2 feet 9 inches). Width approx 40 cm ( 1 foot 4 inches)

hardiness
Dahlias are tender plants. Foliage will be cut down by frost. Tubers may survive down to -5C (23F) if not waterlogged.
Plant Calendar: Wizard of Oz Dahlia
Sow seeds: Feb, March, April
Plant Out: May, June
Flowers: July, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.
Garden Uses for Dahlia Wizard of Oz
Like all dahlias, Wizard of Oz will flower from mid-summer until cut down by the first frosts.
As well as being grown to produce cut flowers for the vase, the delicacy of the flower means that it can suit a mixed perennial border (grown in the middle) or a cottage or courtyard garden scheme.
You can also grow Dahlia Wizard of Oz in pots or containers, as long as they are large enough to be water retentive.
The subtle pink colour of Dahlia Wizard of Oz, means it will go well with other pink, yellow or peachy hued dahlias or contrast nicely with other perennial plants like thalictrums, or grasses like the Pheasant’s Tail grass (Anemanthele lessoniana).
Caring for Dahlia Wizard of Oz
Take care of Dahlia Wizard of Oz just as you would for any dahlia. Note in particular:
- Dahlias prefer to be positioned full sun in moist, retentive, but well drained soil.
- Plant out your Dahlia Wizard of Oz tubers or sprouts after the risk of frost has passed.
- If you pinch out the growing tips of the main stems when they have two or three sets of leaves, you can create a bushier plant which will produce more blooms.
- Keep the plant well-watered, but don’t let it get waterlogged for any prolonged period.
- Feed with a well balanced fertiliser whilst its leaves and stems are developing, but switch to a regular phosphate rich fertiliser (e.g. tomato feed) to encourage flowering.
- Remember to deadhead your flowers regularly to keep the plant flowering for as long as possible.
- If you live in an area that suffers from hard frosts or prolonged waterlogging, lift and store the tubers over winter.
More on Growing Dahlias
There is plenty more free information on growing dahlias on this website. But for more depth and detail I suggest you check out my book, Dahlias Step by Step. In this very modestly priced e-book – available in pdf and e-pub formats – I have distilled all the knowledge I have gained in growing and studying dahlias over almost 2O years.
Check out what you’ll learn from Dahlias Step by Step here.
Check out the other Dahlia posts below
- Taking care of dahlias: the trick with deadheading
- How to grow dahlias: the complete guide to dahlia care
- How to overwinter dahlia plants and tubers
- All you need to know about dahlia tubers and dahlia bulbs
- Dahlia varieties: your complete guide to all types of dahlias
- Dahlias in my garden: Six on Saturday
- Dahlia Wizard of Oz – Beautiful pink pompon dahlia
- Can you grow dahlias in raised beds?
- Can dahlias grow in a tropical climate?
- Do dahlias grow in Florida?
- Dahlia Wine Eyed Jill: striking dahlia for border or vase
- Dahlia Night Silence: dusky pink dahlia sensation
Martin Cole has been an avid plant lover and gardener for more than 20 years and loves to talk and write about gardening. In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year competition. He is a member of the National dahlia Society.
He previously lived in London and Sydney, Australia, where he took a diploma course in Horticultural studies and is now based in North Berwick in Scotland. He founded GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012. The website is aimed at everybody who loves plants or has been bitten by the gardening bug and wants to know more.
Gardening Step by Step has been cited by Thompson and Morgan, the UK’s largest mail order plant retailer, as a website that publishes expert gardening content.
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