PINELANDS PAM, cactus dahlia - PERENNIAL FLOWERS

Dahlia 'Pinelands Pam' is a show-stopping cactus dahlia that arrives at the party in full color — enormous 7-inch blooms of warm golden-yellow with brilliantly lacinated (fringed and pointed) red-tipped petals that radiate like sunbursts. The plant grows to an impressive 5 feet tall, producing showy, exhibition-quality blossoms that are as at home in the cut-flower vase as they are in the back of a sunny border. One of those dahlias that genuinely stops visitors in their tracks.

Variety Highlights

• 7-inch cactus-type blooms: golden-yellow with red lacinated petal tips
• Plant height: 5 feet — bold, back-of-border presence
• Exhibition quality; outstanding as a cut flower
• Long summer-to-frost bloom season when deadheaded consistently
• Tuberous root — can be lifted and stored for repeat years

Growing Guide

When to plant: Spring, after the ground warms to approximately 50°F. Dahlias are frost-tender — do not rush planting.

Planting:

1. Dig a hole 3–4 inches deep
2. Set the tuberous root firmly in place, eye (growth point) facing upward
3. Cover with soil and water thoroughly

Site & soil: Full sun; well-drained soil enriched with compost. Dahlias are heavy feeders — supply ample moisture and balanced fertilizer throughout the growing season.

Pinching for abundance: When the plant reaches 18 inches, cut the entire plant back to 12 inches. Two weeks later, cut back to 18 inches. This two-stage pinch encourages a much-branched plant with dramatically more flowers than unpinched specimens.

Deadheading: Remove all spent blooms promptly to encourage continuous flowering through frost.

Winter storage: After frost blackens the foliage, lift tubers, dry briefly, and store in a cool, frost-free location in barely moist peat or vermiculite until spring.