Dahlia Sweet Tiamo

Dahlia 'Sweet Tiamo' is a brand new variety of decorative dahlia that stands out for its compact habit, as well as its very durable flowers in the garden and in a vase. They are globular, very double, with a mauve-pink colour washed with cream in the centre, and composed of a multitude of petals that gracefully fold towards the stem. This variety forms a stout bush that does not require staking and is also very easy to combine with all kinds of perennials. From July to October, its pastel flowers also allow for numerous combinations in floral arrangements.

Dahlias are tuberous plants from the large family of asters, originally native to the Mexican highlands. At present, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have arrived, much to our delight, in gardens all over the world. Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flowers. 'Sweet Tiamo' is classified in the category of decorative dahlias. In this group, the coloured ligules of the capitulum are regularly arranged in a spiral, they can be bent towards the stem or curled for example. In this variety, the capitula are 10 cm (4in) in diameter, and their ligules are narrow and long, slightly curved, with a lavender-pink colour and a darker base, washed with cream in the centre of the inflorescence. The flowering period is from July to October. The plant will not exceed 70 cm (28in) in height, and 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) in width, with a bushy and upright habit. The very branched stems are hollow and the leaves are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which have very denticulate lobes. The leaves and stems are a fairly dark green.

To promote repeat flowering and extend the flowering period, make sure to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly create attractive colourful bouquets by combining various varieties. The small size of this variety makes it suitable for the middle of perennial borders, or to structure a composition made up of flowering shrubs (Smoke Bush, Compact Winged Euonymus, Loropetalum) and shorter perennials. The soft colour of this Sweet Tiamo variety will go well with pink Dahlias, red dahlias like Charles de Gaulle, purple or even 'black' dahlias. The flowering of Echinaceas is perfect in combination with dahlias, they bloom simultaneously, as do perennial salvias for example. Also consider grasses (Hordeum jubatum, Miscanthus saccharifolius, Stipa arundinacea, Eragrostis trichodes) which take on lovely autumnal hues.

A star plant for borders and herb gardens, Dahlias confidently accompany the most beautiful flowers but are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste qualities relegated it to the status of an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.