Dahlias

One flower - a thousand faces! Hardly any other flowering garden plant can boast such a wealth of shapes and colours as the dahlia. In this country, the "queens of the cottage garden" bloom from June until the first frost, depending on the variety, transforming the late summer garden into a sea of colour. Perched on their tall stems, dahlia flowers are a real eye-catcher.

Origin

In the 15th century, they were already decorating the temples of the Aztecs, as the natural habitat of all 35 dahlia species is the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala. At the end of the 18th century, when Europeans discovered America, the tuberous plant found its way to Europe via Madrid and became increasingly well-known and popular in this country too. In 1791, it was given the name it still bears today in honour of the Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, a student of Carl von Linnaeus. The dahlia has been cultivated by professional nurseries since 1813, and there are now around 20,000 different varieties worldwide thanks to constant new breeding. However, the garden dahlias we are familiar with can be traced back to the crossing of just two wild species: the Dahlia pinnata and the Dahlia coccinea. The resulting hybrids formed the basis for all further breeding activities. In addition to the perennial plants, which form tubers as perennial organs, there are also annual specimens grown from seed.

For the garden and the vase

Dahlias are perennial herbaceous plants that sometimes become somewhat woody at the base of the stem. They grow like shrubs so that one plant can produce several flowers. When the tubers are planted in the ground in May, you should therefore always ensure a planting distance of 40 to 60 centimetres. Planting too close together and with too little aeration also increases the risk of fungal infections. Due to their origin in the sunny, warm regions of Central America, dahlias thrive best in the garden in a full sun, sheltered location with plenty of light - this also stimulates growth and flower formation.

The plants should be watered regularly, but waterlogging should be avoided. Dahlias are particularly effective in the flower bed when combined with perennials, tall ornamental grasses and summer flowers. For example, mixed plantings with asters, coneflowers or stonecrop and zinnias or cosmos are ideal. If you regularly remove the wilted flowers from the dahlias, new buds will continue to grow so that the dahlia splendour in the garden lasts well into the autumn. If you like, you can also cut off some flower stems and put together a colourful bouquet for the vase. To ensure that the dahlias last a long time indoors, it is best to cut them off early in the morning with a sharp knife and then immediately place them in plenty of water.