Dahlia 'Valley Porcupine'

Height: 54"

American Dahlia Society Classification (AKA - flower nerd talk)

Class: 7610 | Form: NX | Size: __ | Color: LB

Features & Specs 

• Variety: Dahlia ‘Valley Porcupine’

• Year Introduced: 2002

• Hybridizers: David & Leone Smith, Tacoma, WA (USA)

• Flower Form: Novelty, fully double, quill/porcupine style

• Bloom Size: Approx. 1.5–4"

• Color: Creamy base with blush pink edges; petals backed and outlined in darker pink

• Plant Height: 36–48" (3–4.5 ft)

• Use: Excellent cut flower; gorgeous for wedding work, market bouquets, and textural arrangements

• Growth Habit: Productive bloomer on long stems; reliable tuber producer; easy to grow

Petite, spiky, and totally charming. Valley Porcupine is a creamy blush novelty dahlia with quill-like petals that curl inward, creating the sweetest “porcupine” pom you’ll ever cut for a vase.

Meet Valley Porcupine, the tiny troublemaker every floral designer falls in love with the second they see it. Hybridized by David and Leone Smith of Tacoma, Washington (of Chimacum fame) and introduced in 2002, this novelty dahlia packs a lot of personality into a petite bloom.

The flowers open creamy with soft pink to blush edges, and each petal inverts and curls inward to form spiky, quill-like tubes—hence the name Valley Porcupine. Up close, the blooms are slightly prickly to the touch, like a tiny floral hedgehog. From a distance, they read as airy, textural puffs that bring instant interest to mixed bouquets.

On the plant, Valley Porcupine is a workhorse:

• Grows about 36–48" (3–4.5 ft) tall

• Produces lots of blooms on long, slender stems

• Makes reliable, well-formed tubers

• Considered easy to grow, even if you’re newer to dahlias

Each bloom is usually 1.5–4" across, just the right size for tucking into bridal work, posies, and mixed market bouquets. The blush-cream petals, backed and outlined in deeper pink, pair beautifully with pastels, mauves, smokey tones, and moody reds.

If you love quirky textures, petite blooms, and varieties with a real story behind them, Valley Porcupine is a must-grow.

See Dahlia 'Valley Porcupine' in Floret's Library