Flower colour
Flower colour
Flower style:
Daisy likeFoliage colour
Foliage colour
Foliage style:
Medium, ovalSun
Partial shade
Shade
Well drained
Moist well drained
Moist
Aquatic
Bog/marginal
Hardiness
Dahlia 'Sarah'
Scientific family:
AsteraceaeDahlia type:
Group 1 (Single-flowered)Type:
Herbaceous perennialOrigin:
Central AmericaLifecycle:
DeciduousGarden style:
Cottage/informal or town/courtyardPosition:
Border or containersSoil:
Clay, loam or sandpH:
Acid, alkaline or neutralFragrance:
NoneAspect:
South or eastExposure:
ShelteredShape:
Clump/mound formingMaintenance:
High maintenanceHealth caution:
PoisonousAdditional use:
Cut flowersTime to maturity:
1-2 yearsDahlias, as grown in the garden, are hybrids of plants originating from Central America. They tend to prefer free draining soils in full sun that are watered regularly. Dahlias are late flowering, often into mid-November, providing a splash of colour when other plants are past their best. Their splash of colour does require work: not only do the taller varieties require staking, all require regular feeding and deadheading, and their tubers need to be lifted in the late autumn and stored.
Dahlia are classified into sixteen groups:
Group | Group name | Flower description | Example |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Single Dahlias | Flowers have a single ring of florets, overlapping at the centre | Dahlia 'Twynings After Eight' |
2 | Anemone Dahlias | Flowers have a centre of tubular florets surrounded by one or more outer rings of petals | Dahlia 'Blue Bayou' |
3 | Collerette Dahlias | An outer ring of petals surrounds an inner ring of smaller petals | Dahlia 'Flamenco' |
4 | Peony Dahlias | Multiple rings of flat petals | Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' |
5 | Formal Decorative Dahlias | Double blooms with no centre disc, with pointed curved petals | Dahlia 'Break Out' |
6 | Ball Dahlias | Double blooms with no centre disc, petals form a ball and are curved at tip | Dahlia 'Gazani' |
7 | Pompon Dahlias | Small, double round shaped blooms | Dahlia 'First Lady' |
8 | Cactus Dahlias | Ball shaped flowers with petals that are point and tubular for half or more of their length | Dahlia 'Gryson's Yellow Spider' |
9 | Collerette Dahlias | An outer ring of petals surrounds an inner ring of smaller petals | Dahlia 'Flamenco' |
10 | Miscellaneous Dahlias | Any that do not fit into other groups | Dahlia 'Honka' |
11 | Fimbriated Dahlias | Petals are fringed | |
12 | Star or Single Orchid Dahlias | Single outer ring of rounded tube-like petals. Centre disc | |
13 | Double Orchid Dahlias | Double tube-like petals, no centre disc | |
14 | Waterlily Dahlias | Double bloom with fewer petals the length of which is less htanb half the diameter of the flower | Dahlia 'Clarence' |