Seed - Dahlia - Merlot

All flower seeds available from The Olde Creamery have been grown by us, on our farm in North East Victoria. We maintain the plants during the growing season, pinching & disbudding to promote healthy sturdy plants, adhere to our own virus control methods, treat for pests with eco-friendly biological controls vs systemic chemicals, and then optimally feed and water the plants to promote blooming and reduce stress during the hot weather.

Please read our Dahlia pages for more information on our reducing virus in Dahlia's strategy & the implementation of biological controls for pest management.

At the end of the season, we start preparing blooms for seed collection, this involves initially removing around 2/3rds of petals from a bloom. In doing so, we create more space for the bees to come and do their magic and increase our chances of obtaining viable seeds. We then wait and monitor the immature seeds over the next 6 weeks before harvesting.

Once harvested the heads are split open and the seeds removed and sorted by hand – this can be quite time-consuming! Any non-viable seeds are removed & the batch is periodically tested to ensure they contain an endosperm. They are then air-dried to reduce the chances of mold, before being individually packaged for sale.

Did you know that many of the seeds available to buy commercially are produced overseas? Just like most of our cut flower industry as well. They are then stored for weeks in cold storage as well as fumigated and treated with harsh chemicals to meet our strict border security measures.