No one had ever seen a dahlia in Europe up until the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. They’re now one of the most popular flowers in the UK (they’re having a moment in the flower world). With a wide choice of flower shapes and colours – from spiky, yellow petals to purple pom-pom heads – they can brighten up any garden from summer into autumn.
Living in a big city like Birmingham, not everyone is blessed with a big garden that can be filled with hundreds of colourful flowers. Which is why we recommend heading to the UK’s largest supplier of cut flower dahlias, Dahlia Beach – where you can pick from thousands of flowers to take home with you!
What is Dahlia Beach?
What started as a lockdown obsession for dahlias, has fast become an award-winning dahlia farm – including the Director General’s Award at the Chelsea Flower Show and flower wholesaler. Selling premium dahlia tubers around the country, Dahlia Beach opens itself up to the public from August every year. For just £5, across two hours, you can pick from 50 different varieties of nearly 10,000 dahlias.
How do I get there?
Based at Millets Farm in Abingdon, South Oxfordshire, Dahlia Beach is roughly less than two hours from London. Your quickest route is to drive directly, but it won’t take too much longer if you decide to take the train to Oxford and hop on a short bus. Dahlia Beach is open seven days a week from August 17 until the end of October from 10am -4pm. If you don’t fancy the trip, you can always order some online, but you miss out on all the fun…
What other things are there to do at Dahlia Beach?
On top of the flower fields, you’ll also find a cafe, farm shop, garden centre and a lake to look at. You can also book a two-hour flower arranging session (£45) where you’ll pick your favourite dahlias before an expert florist teaches you how to create beautiful hand-tied bouquets using your cut flowers. There’ll be plenty of time to snap pictures with the brightly coloured beach huts and double-decker bus afterwards too.
If you’re after something a little special. On September 21, Andie and Emma B from Magic FM will be hosting the ultimate summer party, ‘Dancing in the Dahlias’. Between 6pm to 9.30pm, boogie down among the flowers to your favourite 80s and 90s tunes as the sun goes down. Tickets are £25. To learn more about Dahlia Beach head here.