Expert’s choice: single dahlias
Single dahlias
These cottage garden favourites come in a huge range of shapes and colours, says Graham Rice
From when we first pick flowers, crawling across the weedy lawn on our hands and knees, daisies grab our attention. With well over 32,000 species, daisies vie with orchids to be the largest plant family of all and the classic daisy flower – a golden centre surrounded by ray-like petals – is instantly recognisable, even before we can walk.
But with dahlias, the majority of varieties that we grow have abandoned that simplicity in favour of double flowers that have more impact but usually less elegance and which are less instantly appealing to bees – collecting pollen is hard work when the flowers are crowded with petals.
And there’s another thing. Double flowers packed with petals are, well, heavy and collect moisture so, after rain, the stems arch over under the weight of the rainfall, ruining the grace of the display.
So let’s hear it for the single-flowered dahlias. They have style, they have garden performance, an increasing number feature bronzed foliage, and pollinators love them. What’s more, in the Netherlands and in New Zealand, as well as in Britain, new single-flowered varieties have been developed to join the trusted favourites. On top of that, planted in a sunny and free-draining site I’ve found that more often than not they survive the winter and burst into growth in spring. What more can you ask? Fragrance? Don’t be greedy.
■ Position Best in full sun, in a rich and freedraining soil. Excellent in containers, but most will require a large pot and something bushy such as silvery or limy-leaved helichrysum around the base. M Hardy in many areas, lift and store the tubers in colder gardens to avoid frost damage.
■ Aftercare Protect from slugs in spring, deadhead often to keep the flowers coming and support taller varieties in breezy locations.
■ Where to buy hallsofheddon.com, 01661 852445; pheasantacreplants.co.uk, 01656 664086; sarahraven.com, 0345 092 0283