CAFE AU LAIT

I almost passed on this one due to the reviews and it being my first year with dahlias. Following feeds and blogs, this was a tough year for dahlias, but not this Cafe Au Lait. Second of my bunch to bloom, she has produced many beautiful cream and soft pink flowers. Absolutely stunning.

I grew this in a large container last spring and summer. It was just spectacular! Loads of blooms, some that were more pink. I dug it up last fall and stored for the winter. I replanted it in a large container this spring and it is already a foot tall. Just make sure to stake it and it will reward you.

I had this and what I assume its cousin Breakout. I didn't really like them because the stems are too short for cutting and the flowers don't last long before browning on the plant.

I wish I could give this one higher marks. Of the 18 tubers I purchased, this is the only one that isn't a shining star...and it was the most expensive one of all. It has only grown to two feet and produced one bloom, and not an impressive one at that. I also think I prefer the more colorful varieties.

I have been wanting to try this one for a couple years, but they kept getting sold out before I got around to ordering. I did get it ordered for this year and it everything I hoped it could be. It was the first to break ground and the first to bloom, except for some that overwintered in the ground (but that is another story). Cafe Au Lait is a beauty. The first blossom was almost 10 inches. Everything else has been 7 - 8". The 6th one is blooming on the plant now at 8", with over a dozen buds in various stages. All the flowers have been decidedly pink with great form and held at a perfect angle for viewing. Couldn't be happier! This one is definitely going to get special attention for overwintering.

There is no dahlia that can compare to Cafe au Lait. It is the queen of the garden, but she is definitely persnickety. Not recommended for a first time dahlia grower or for regions that have more difficult climates. But they are stunning in the PNW! I have at least three of these as they are 1) late bloomers and 2) not prolific bloomers so I have more plants to compensate.

This variety is considered wedding favorite but it's so so hard to grow! Even under the most optional conditions it produces a high number of lopsided blooms or blooms without petals. Yield isn't great either. Also it could be a hit or miss in storage which may be related to low anthocyanin content. I noticed that light pink or white varieties in general are hard to store. High tuber price kind of reflects all these grow challenges

I was afraid when I spent $25 for a dahlia tuber that is so widely available. I also purchased a clump from Holland. Well...the clump from Holland is straight up purple. It's not just a little lavender. It's more of a blackberry latte! The dahlia from Swan Island is the perfect specimen! The shape of the petals, long vase life, and of course the beautiful beige color are exactly what i was hoping for. As a grower and floral designer I couldn't be more pleased. I would've paid double for the tuber! Please beware any time you purchase tubers from a "reseller". American dahlias are sold by the individual tuber, not a clump from Holland. Swan Island shows how they care for the quality of their stock in the product they sell. I purchased tubers from at least 8 places last year and am ready to place an order for almost all of them from right here. Don't let the price of this one make you hesitate!

I, too, have given this variety a go to only be disappointed-All others have thrived with the same TLC…

I thought it was my fault, but my first year trying to grow the celebrated Cafe au Lait was not successful. I contacted Swan Island, and they replaced the tuber. Next year the results were better but not stellar, and although my other dahlias grew wonderfully, I’d have to say my Cafe au Lait dahlias underperformed. I’m still going to keep trying.

First year growing. First few blooms we small, as I expected. Then she put on a spectacular display blooms. Blooms have ranged from 4 to 6 inches.
This is an excellent cut flower and holds up in the vase for 7 plus days.
The beauty of this dahlia is breath taking. She was planted in an area that gets 7 plus hours of sun and good drainage. Soil was 6.5-7.0 ph added supplemented at planting with worm castings. This was also started indoors and I'm in zone 6A

While my Cafe au Lait bloomed, for the second year in a row it is only about 2 feet tall. I'm still debating on whether to give it another go and see if I can raise it up to 4 feet.

This is absolutely my favorite dahlia right now. I have to grow my dahlias in raised beds due to the western pocket gopher, and this performs admirably. Big huge blooms seem to exceed the 8" size and the color is a to-die-for peach pink. I almost have trouble keeping up with pinching, it's very vigorous for me. What's more, two other gardeners entered theirs in our recent Napa Valley dahlia show, so I'm surprised at the poor preformnce for others.

I had a Cafe au Lait tuber purchased at a local garden center and given to my by a friend. Two tubers for 5.95 and they were spectacular so I decided the following year to get a few from Swan Island thinking they will be even better. I was sorely disappointed. The flowers were small, pink and pointy. Bummer. I am off Swan Island.

SID REPLY - I hope you reached out to us directly as all dahlias are guaranteed to be true to the variety purchased.

Never Bloomed. I have purchased from Swan most years for over a decade, and have been growing dahlias from tubers every year for at least 25 years. First time I saw these introduced on Swan few/several years back I purchased 1 or 2 tubers expecting an extraordinary plant, considering that at $20 per tuber which was at that time, unheard of. After many hours and several months of diligent TLC nothing came up even though dahlia tubers flourished to the right and left of this planting. Considered buying again because it is so pretty and listed as a good cut flower. Thought the first failure was me but seeing this other review I sadly I have to stay away.

Maybe it was a bad tuber, but 2 years in a row every other dahlia tuber I've planted has grown and bloomed wonderful. This one failed twice. I have multiple "late" blooming dahlias, but the Cafe Au Lait will have about 30 + buds, but never bloom. I've tried planting earlier too. Full sun, raised bed, adequately watered and fertilized. So I'm buying another Cafe Au Lait tuber in hopes that maybe my tuber was a dud.