Sometimes the sheer audacity of a flower grabs your
attention and simply won't let go. The first time I saw a
dahlia, I was stunned. Not only is their size larger than
life, but also the colors are absolutely amazing! The
intricacy of petal structure, the huge array of shapes, oh
yeah, did I mention the COLORS! In short, I was mesmerized.
In the intervening years, not much has changed, except of
course, there are better selections of these incredibly
immense dahlias. Stronger stems, better foliage, brighter
colors are all thanks to the hard work and intuitive genius
of many hybridizers.
I know several people who have devoted their entire garden
to growing dahlias. Some people might say it's a sickness.
I don't agree - if dahlias are your passion, live it! On
the other hand, not everyone can - or would want to --
devote a large amount of time and effort to one kind of
plant. But, seriously, there's room in just about any
garden for a few of these show-stopping flowers.
Besides border dahlias, there are decorative, dinner plate,
karma, powder puff, tree, collarette and a huge number of
unique dahlia shapes available. Flower sizes range from
under 2 inches wide to more than 10 inches in diameter.
While the colors include everything under the rainbow with
a few surprises in between. That's a lot to choose from;
I'm certain there is more than one for your garden.
One of the best reasons of all to grow dahlias is their
flowering time. They begin to bloom usually in late July
and continue unabated until frost, a time when many other
perennials are finished blooming and there's not much else
going on in the garden.
Dahlias are native to the mountainous central region of
Mexico and Guatemala. Spanish settlers in Mexico sent the
first dahlia seeds and tubers back to Spain in the 18th
century. Spanish botanists at the Royal Botanical Garden in
Madrid sent seeds and tubers to botanists in other parts of
Europe, and the dahlia began to spread across Europe. The
first varieties with large, double ball-shaped flowers were
bred in Belgium in 1815 and within a few decades nurserymen
had expanded the combinations of colors as far as they
thought they could be. Most turned their attention to other
projects, and dahlias languished.
Then, in 1872, a box of dahlia roots from Mexico arrived in
Holland. All the roots had perished except one, which
produced a brilliant red flower whose shape was distinctly
different. It was combined with earlier varieties and the
resulting babies became the parents of today's diverse
hybrids. Thanks to the skill of breeders in England,
Holland, Germany, Australia and America, dahlias come in a
range of sizes and colors unmatched in the world of garden
flowers.
There are some spectacular dinner plate sized dahlias that
grow 36-48 inches tall. How about 'Emory Paul', biggest of
them all in orchid lavender; maybe 'The Big Wow', with
enormous bright, scarlet red flowers. What about checking
out 'Ferncliff Illlusion', fabulous in white with violet
tips or 'Kelvin Floodlight', immense, dazzling, deep, clear
yellow. Any one would be perfect for creating a dramatic
display in your garden.
There are more demure dahlias that come in powder puff
shapes and grow 24-40 inches tall. Most of these large
flowers have a petticoat of regular petals with a puff of
smaller, ruffled petals in the middle. Try 'Blue Bayou' in
lavender-blue; or 'Soulman', in a rich, deep maroon, a
color very rarely seen in the horticulture industry.
You can mix it up with Karma dahlias for an array of
different shapes and vibrant, iridescent colors. These tall
dahlias (36-44 inches) were developed for the Dutch cut
flower market and have long, very sturdy stems. The colors
are truly magnificent. For an amazing effect in your
garden, try 'Karma Sangria' with a rose center, and golden
yellow petals tipped in salmon rose. Single colored flowers
include 'Karma Prospero', in soft lilac-pink with a golden
center and 'Karma Ventura', a dazzling lemon yellow the
perfect contrast to the pink petals of 'Prospero'.
Like I said, there are delightful dahlias for every
gardener! You just have to find the one that suits you best.
----------------------------------------------------
Since 1893 Van Bourgondien has been providing the finest
quality Dutch bulbs and perennials in the horticultural
industry. See all of the dahlias mentioned in this article
by visiting the author's website: Van Bourgondien
http://www.dutchbulbs.com/bulbs/article-wrapper.do?mainPage=
articles/bulblady/plantProfiles/delightfulDahlias.vm&utm_sou
rce=ArticleSubmission&utm_medium=article&utm_content=dahlias
attention and simply won't let go. The first time I saw a
dahlia, I was stunned. Not only is their size larger than
life, but also the colors are absolutely amazing! The
intricacy of petal structure, the huge array of shapes, oh
yeah, did I mention the COLORS! In short, I was mesmerized.
In the intervening years, not much has changed, except of
course, there are better selections of these incredibly
immense dahlias. Stronger stems, better foliage, brighter
colors are all thanks to the hard work and intuitive genius
of many hybridizers.
I know several people who have devoted their entire garden
to growing dahlias. Some people might say it's a sickness.
I don't agree - if dahlias are your passion, live it! On
the other hand, not everyone can - or would want to --
devote a large amount of time and effort to one kind of
plant. But, seriously, there's room in just about any
garden for a few of these show-stopping flowers.
Besides border dahlias, there are decorative, dinner plate,
karma, powder puff, tree, collarette and a huge number of
unique dahlia shapes available. Flower sizes range from
under 2 inches wide to more than 10 inches in diameter.
While the colors include everything under the rainbow with
a few surprises in between. That's a lot to choose from;
I'm certain there is more than one for your garden.
One of the best reasons of all to grow dahlias is their
flowering time. They begin to bloom usually in late July
and continue unabated until frost, a time when many other
perennials are finished blooming and there's not much else
going on in the garden.
Dahlias are native to the mountainous central region of
Mexico and Guatemala. Spanish settlers in Mexico sent the
first dahlia seeds and tubers back to Spain in the 18th
century. Spanish botanists at the Royal Botanical Garden in
Madrid sent seeds and tubers to botanists in other parts of
Europe, and the dahlia began to spread across Europe. The
first varieties with large, double ball-shaped flowers were
bred in Belgium in 1815 and within a few decades nurserymen
had expanded the combinations of colors as far as they
thought they could be. Most turned their attention to other
projects, and dahlias languished.
Then, in 1872, a box of dahlia roots from Mexico arrived in
Holland. All the roots had perished except one, which
produced a brilliant red flower whose shape was distinctly
different. It was combined with earlier varieties and the
resulting babies became the parents of today's diverse
hybrids. Thanks to the skill of breeders in England,
Holland, Germany, Australia and America, dahlias come in a
range of sizes and colors unmatched in the world of garden
flowers.
There are some spectacular dinner plate sized dahlias that
grow 36-48 inches tall. How about 'Emory Paul', biggest of
them all in orchid lavender; maybe 'The Big Wow', with
enormous bright, scarlet red flowers. What about checking
out 'Ferncliff Illlusion', fabulous in white with violet
tips or 'Kelvin Floodlight', immense, dazzling, deep, clear
yellow. Any one would be perfect for creating a dramatic
display in your garden.
There are more demure dahlias that come in powder puff
shapes and grow 24-40 inches tall. Most of these large
flowers have a petticoat of regular petals with a puff of
smaller, ruffled petals in the middle. Try 'Blue Bayou' in
lavender-blue; or 'Soulman', in a rich, deep maroon, a
color very rarely seen in the horticulture industry.
You can mix it up with Karma dahlias for an array of
different shapes and vibrant, iridescent colors. These tall
dahlias (36-44 inches) were developed for the Dutch cut
flower market and have long, very sturdy stems. The colors
are truly magnificent. For an amazing effect in your
garden, try 'Karma Sangria' with a rose center, and golden
yellow petals tipped in salmon rose. Single colored flowers
include 'Karma Prospero', in soft lilac-pink with a golden
center and 'Karma Ventura', a dazzling lemon yellow the
perfect contrast to the pink petals of 'Prospero'.
Like I said, there are delightful dahlias for every
gardener! You just have to find the one that suits you best.
----------------------------------------------------
Since 1893 Van Bourgondien has been providing the finest
quality Dutch bulbs and perennials in the horticultural
industry. See all of the dahlias mentioned in this article
by visiting the author's website: Van Bourgondien
http://www.dutchbulbs.com/bulbs/article-wrapper.do?mainPage=
articles/bulblady/plantProfiles/delightfulDahlias.vm&utm_sou
rce=ArticleSubmission&utm_medium=article&utm_content=dahlias
