An In-Depth Look At Dahlias

They’re bold, brash but never dull – Val Bourne shares her passion for this infinitely varied flower.

- Val Bourne

MAKE no mistake: I’m potty about dahlias. No other flower I grow performs from the second half of summer right up until the first frosts. No other flower delivers the same rainbow of colour either, whether it’s sultry deep reds to add an ornate touch to yellow daisies, pumpkin oranges that glow against purples, or feminine pinks and whites for a softer, romantic look.

Then there are the flower shapes. Here, too, there’s a dahlia for everyone – from simple singles to petal-packed waterlilies; spiky ones that explode like fireworks, tight balls for the vase or huge decoratives that just scream flower power. You can enjoy them in the garden or put them on your allotment; as far as I’m concerned, the dahlia has it all!

I first fell for these tantalising tubers around 60 years ago. Like many a small child given pocket money, I couldn’t wait to spend it at the sweet shop. My weekly route took me past the local allotments, where chain link fencing revealed tempting glimpses of huge dinner plate dahlias in a range of lollipop colours. In the 1950s, dahlia enthusiasts produced enormous blooms by disbudding them, and those giants – grown for the show bench – were the start of my life-long love affair.