Dahlia Flaming Emperor

Dahlia 'Flaming Emperor' will surprise you with its single flowers measuring 12cm (5in) in diameter. They boast a bright yellow centre that is easily visible to pollinators throughout summer. The bi-coloured petals are pale-yellow, speckled with red. This beautiful bush will find its place in a flower bed or even in the vegetable garden to bring a touch of colour.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. There are currently thousands of horticultural varieties that have conquered gardens worldwide. They are tender perennials with fleshy tubers.

Dahlias are classified based on the shape of their flowers. The 'Flaming Emperor' variety is a single flowered dahlia, resembling anemones or cosmos flowers.

Flowering starts in July and continues until the first frost. The flower heads measure 12cm (5in) in diameter and consist of a large, bright yellow centre surrounded by a row of bi-coloured ligules. They are pale-yellow, adorned with beautiful red spots. It has a bushy and upright habit, and the hollow stems are somewhat fragile in windy conditions. Its deciduous green leaves are divided into 3 or 5 dentate lobes.

Remove faded flowers to encourage new blooms. You can use cut flowers to make colourful bouquets, combining them with other varieties. 

Plant a flower bed of dahlias in the garden, mixing colours and varieties for even more vibrant bouquets. You can plant it with the Antibes decorative dahlia with its reddish-brown flowers, the cosmos-dahlia 'Mexican Star' with purple flowers, or the 'Icoon' pompom dahlia with yellow flowers tipped with ruby.

Single-flowered dahlias pair well with gauras and cleomes, which have a lighter appearance.