Melissa Anna Marijke - Fall

Melissa Anna Marijke is one of those dahlias that becomes more interesting the closer you look at it. From across the field, the blooms read as soft lilac-purple. Turn one over, though, and the petals reveal a dramatic burgundy-red reverse, with that deeper color also tracing the edges and veins of the upper petals.

That contrast gives every flower a wonderful sense of depth and movement. As the petals curl and overlap, flashes of burgundy appear between the softer lavender surfaces, making the bloom feel far richer than a straightforward purple dahlia.

The flowers are fully double and decorative, generally around 3½–4 inches across. That smaller bloom size is especially useful for designing because it brings plenty of color without overwhelming the other flowers in the arrangement.

In our market bouquets, Melissa Anna Marijke works beautifully when I want to introduce purple without taking the entire bouquet cool. The burgundy underside gives it enough warmth to pair naturally with dusty rose, raspberry, burgundy, blush, cream, and deeper wine tones.

For our local florists, the color combination is where this variety really shines. A stem can read lavender from one direction and wine-red from another, creating subtle contrast as the flowers move through an arrangement. It is especially attractive in garden-style designs where every flower does not need to face perfectly forward.

The foliage adds another layer of interest. Melissa Anna Marijke grows on relatively compact plants with dark, bronze-tinged foliage, giving it a completely different presence in the garden from many traditional green-leaved dahlias. The Royal Horticultural Society specifically highlights the dark foliage and recommends the variety for cutting as well as borders and containers.

I especially like it for wedding work when the palette includes mauve, blush, burgundy, plum, or dusty rose. The lavender face can soften deeper colors, while that burgundy reverse quietly echoes the darker flowers in the arrangement.

At only around 2½–3 feet tall, this is not the towering cut-flower plant that some dahlias become. Instead, it offers a compact growth habit with distinctive flowers and foliage, making it particularly appealing for gardeners who want a dahlia that performs both in the landscape and in the vase.

For the gardener who loves moody lavender color, burgundy accents, dark foliage, and dahlias that reveal a little surprise when you turn the bloom over, Melissa Anna Marijke is a beautifully distinctive variety to grow.

Bloom Color: Lilac-Purple with Reddish-Purple Edging and Burgundy-Red Reverse
Bloom Form: Formal Decorative
Bloom Size: Approximately 3½–4 inches
Plant Height: Approximately 2½–3 feet
Hybridizer: Ru-Ro Plant
Introduced By: M.J.M. Komen-Kruiswijk
Introduced: 2019
Best For: Cutting gardens, florist work, weddings, containers & landscape planting