Dahlia Dreaming Maid

Dahlia 'Dreaming Maid' adds its astonishing colour to the range of Ball Dahlias, whose ball-shaped flowers are precisely and curiously organized into countless alveoli. On each flower, each petal is painted here with violine, magenta, and even lilac mauve, on a bright white background, with the colouring varying depending on the temperature and growing conditions. The plant blooms profusely, from summer until the first frost, and has a bushy and upright habit, supported by long stems, which look beautiful in bouquets and in the back of borders.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. They have inflorescences in the form of capitula, which we commonly call 'flowers'. Nowadays, the thousands of horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded gardens all over the world, much to our delight.
The variety 'Dreaming Maid', which is a recent introduction, will reach a height of about 1m (3ft) and a diameter of 60cm (24in) after 3 to 4 months of cultivation. It is classified as a Ball Dahlia. In this category, the capitula have no visible centre and are composed of numerous petals (ligules) that are regularly arranged and completely rolled up on themselves. They are tubular and never flare out. This category includes varieties that form true balls, such as pompoms (diameter less than 6cm (2in)) and balls (diameter greater than 6cm (2in)). The capitula of this 'Dreaming Maid' variety generally measure 9cm (4in) in diameter. The plant has an upright habit and its stems sometimes require staking. The flowering of this variety starts in July and ends in October-November, if you take care to remove faded flowers or make bouquets regularly. The habit is bushy and upright. The stems are very branched, long, and strong, hollow, and the leaves are opposite, pinnately lobed, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are a medium green.

To encourage repeat flowering, make sure to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Dreaming Maid' produces precious flowers in bouquets, alongside single or pompom varieties, in white, pink, or purple. In borders, it pairs well with 'Primley Blue' Mallow, perennial geraniums like 'Blue Cloud' or 'Rozanne', or Rubrum Fountain Grass, which all flower at the same time. Asters and bushy salvias, with their light flowers, are also perfect companions for Dahlias. Its long, flower-filled stems allow for beautiful bouquets late in the season.

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