About dahlias, it used to be simple, almost black and white :
- either you cautiously sided with the majority and hated them,
- or you more or less proudly owned your taste for this 'grandmother's flower' and were, at best, seen as eccentric, at worst, as tacky.
Those days are over! The dahlia has finally come out of disfavour and confirmed its big comeback.
And if I applaud, it’s because justice has been done: easy to grow, it offers profuse, long-lasting flowering, it is as splendid in the garden as in a cut flower arrangement, it comes in a multitude of shapes and colours... and above all, it suits every garden style.
3 (modern) ways to use dahlias in the garden :
Traditionally planted in « mixed borders » and in unassuming spots, such as vicar's gardens or around vegetable plots, dahlias are equally perfect in many different settings, because they can also:
1) Pep up and colour expanses of grasses in naturalistic beds
In order: Dr Ph. Riedell - Bishop of Landaff - Catherine Deneuve - Bishop of Canterbury
2) Shine with pure radiance within elegant white gardens...
In order: Lady Liberty - Bride's Bouquet - Klondyke - White Pompon
3) Surprise with their whimsy, draw the eye with the precision of their geometry and mesmerise with their mystery in bold, modern, graphic scenes :
In order: Happy single Juliet - Sam Hopkins – Rocco – Clair Obscur
And while some regret that you have to lift them in autumn, I see this rather as an advantage: it’s an excellent opportunity to divide them (very handy when gardening budget is inversely proportional to garden size), but also to change their position each year and so vary the pleasures. Note that this operation isn’t always necessary in mild climates. Protected under a thick mulch, they can quite happily remain in the ground.
As you’ve probably gathered, this year, for us, it’s « all out for dahlias! » (they’ve been pre-sprouting in the greenhouse for a few days; I’m eagerly awaiting their awakening).
And you? Dahlias in your garden? What are your favourite varieties? Your reliable performers and your favourite picks?
PS: As an anecdote, I had left to my future mother-in-law (love of risk...) the task of choosing my wedding bouquet. Two hours before the ceremony, when it was presented to me, I thought I’d faint: it was largely made up of cactus dahlias, chick-yellow to boot! The village florist, ordered to make another bouquet with what he had to hand and in 15 minutes flat, must still remember it… Only fools never change their minds, right?
Growing dahlias :
Our advice sheets: Succeeding with your Dahlias - How to grow beautiful dahlias - Dividing dahlias
Admire dahlia collections :
- at the Parc Floral de Paris (75) - France’s largest dahlia competition
- at the Parc Floral d'Orléans-La Source (45) – from August to October
- at the Lycée nature de Coutances (50) - Dahlias and Gardens festival in September
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