The Center

The center of fully double blooms is one of the first points a judge should examine when critiquing a bloom in show or seedling competition. “The center of the bloom must be round and tight with the ray florets filling the center completely. The size of the center should be in pleasing proportion to the bloom itself so that it appears to center rather than dominate the bloom.” (Guide to Judging Dahlias [GKD], p. 17).

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Hollyhill Frodo from the MN Trial Garden, shown above left, illustrates a tight center with “pleasing proportion.

The second photo, which is Hollyhill Jitterbug, is an example of a center that is not as “pleasing” because it is an immature flower. Eventually, as the flower fully opens, it might become more “pleasing,” which illustrates how important timing is in the whole show process.

When the center is not fully closed leaving a small hole, as shown in the third photo the GJD says on page 17: “The ray florets of a maturing fully double bloom on occasion may not completely meet at the center of the bloom resulting in a small hole; this condition is a minor fault and should not be considered the same as a blown or green center.”