Dahlia Puerto Rico

Dahlia 'Puerto Rico' is a dahlia with large decorative flowers in salmon and yellow. The capitula are almost spherical and have very elegant, tapered ligules in soft colours. It is a beautiful dahlia perfect for cut flowers. In the garden, it can add a nice tangy touch to a violet-dominated bed that is a bit too dark, for example.

Dahlias belong to the large family of Asteraceae and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 20,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our great pleasure, gardens all over the world. Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flowers. The Dahlia 'Puerto Rico' is a dahlia with decorative flowers that will reach 90 cm (35in) in height and 60 cm (24in) in width. Its highly branched stems are hollow. Its leaves are opposite and divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which have very denticulate lobes. The stems and leaves are medium green. The plant has a bushy habit and, as a large variety, it is important to thicken its width to strengthen its structure. The flowers of decorative dahlias are thicker than they are wide and are often large in size. The flowers of the 'Puerto Rico' variety are 15 cm (6in) in diameter or larger, they are full and well double. Numerous rows of ligules overlap and are involute, meaning they have an inflection towards the heart of the inflorescence. They are generally concave, long, and so notched at their tip that they could be said to have two small tongues. This characteristic gives the flower a lot of volume and elegance. The base of the ligules is golden yellow and gradually shades into salmon towards the tip. The shorter central florets form a bud of a darker pink as they have not yet reached maturity.

The flowering of dahlias is exceptionally long, starting in July and ending in November. To encourage flower reblooming, be sure to remove faded flowers. Better yet, regularly cut them to create charming colourful bouquets by combining different varieties. In the background of a bed, the airy foliage of bronze fennel and that of diamond grass will enhance the texture of your giant dahlia varieties. The light and bright colours of the 'Puerto Rico' variety will go well with dark violets for a beautiful contrast, but also with light pinks for a softer and more romantic mix.

Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers, they are impeccable in a flower bed but can also enhance a vegetable garden. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste quickly relegated it to the rank of an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.