Dahlia Dark Butterfly

The 'Dark Butterfly' Decorative Dahlia, is a brand new variety that is sure to appeal to flower enthusiasts, including those who are not typically fans of this plant. Its semi-double flowers with slightly twisted petals, blending shades of pink, mauve, salmon, and soft yellow, reveal an attractive reverse side in shades of pink and plum.  The plant forms a bushy clump of medium size and blooms late in the season, with abundant bright green foliage. A superb palette of colours, which pairs well with most shades of pink, purple, plum, yellow, and even orange, both in the garden and in bouquets!

Dahlias belong to the large Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the some 25,000 horticultural varieties created by humans have invaded gardens around the world, much to our delight. They are herbaceous plants, perennial thanks to their underground tuber that rests during the winter. Dahlias are classified based on the shape of their flower. 'Dark Butterfly', registered in 2012, is classified in the category of Decorative Dahlias. In this group, the colourful ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a spiral, and can be curved towards the stem or even fringed, for example. 

The flowering plant will reach approximately 90 cm (35in) to 1 m (3ft) in height and 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) in width. The semi-double flowers of 'Dark Butterfly' measure approximately 8-10 cm (3-4in) in diameter. The outermost ligules, in fairly light shades, have a very unique shape, slightly helical, allowing their reverse side in shades of purple to plum to be highly visible. The tiny fertile flowers in the centre form a bronze to yellow disc. The flowering occurs from July to October-November, until the frosts. The habit is bushy and erect. The very branched stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnately divided into 3 or 5 highly toothed lobes. The leaves are a bright green, and the slender stems are beautifully tinged with purple.

To encourage repeat flowering, make sure to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly create large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. With its swirling flowering, the Dahlia 'Dark Butterfly' alone creates a beautiful display in a dedicated flowerbed, or even in a large glazed pot on the patio. However, it also pairs well with the grey foliage of wormwood (Armoise Powis Castle, Artemisia absinthium Lambrook Silver) or dark foliage (Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum, Amaranthus Velvet Curtains). In flowerbeds, this Dahlia will create colourful and luminous spots among groups of Echinaceas, for example, perennials that bloom at the same time, along with light flowering blue or purple asters (Aster cordifolius, Aster turbinellus, Aster novi-belgii Marie Ballard...). Of course, its flowers are magnificent in bouquets.

As a star plant in borders and ornamental gardens, Dahlias confidently accompany the most beautiful flowers, but are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. However, its poor taste qualities relegated it to the status of an ornamental plant.