Dahlia Penhill Autumn Shade

Dahlia 'Penhill Autumn Shade' attracts all eyes with its large, fully double flowers, reaching the size of a plate. Its pointed petals display a beautiful harmony of salmon-pink, apricot, and golden yellow tones. They are produced in abundance from summer until the first frost, on a medium-sized bushy plant. This unusual variety will bring a warm and soft touch to sunny borders and floral arrangements.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. There are currently thousands of horticultural varieties that have conquered gardens worldwide. They are tender perennials with fleshy tubers.

'Penhill Autumn Shade' was registered in 2005. The plant forms a clump that is 1m (3ft) tall and about 60cm (24in) wide. It is classified as a semi-cactus dahlia, a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head only partially curl for at least one-third of their length. This dahlia has curled ligules at their tips, wide at the base. The flowering of this variety begins in July and ends in October-November. The heads measure 20cm (8in) in diameter, with yellow ligules at the base and a predominantly salmon-pink colour, with the flower's centre being pink. It has a bushy and erect habit, and the highly branched stems are hollow. Its leaves are opposite and divided into 3 or 5 toothed lobes. The leaves are a medium green colour, with the stems varying in shade from green to purple.

Remove faded flowers to encourage new blooms. You can use cut flowers to make colourful bouquets, combining them with other varieties.

'Penhill Autumn Shade' is an exceptional cut flower that pairs particularly well with asters and heleniums. In the garden, it can be placed at the back of perennial borders, where it can lean on bushes. It will look wonderful with pink, orange, yellow, and white blooms, especially those of roses and geums. In a mixed border, it will blend perfectly with tall "thistles" (cardoon and artichoke), fennel, cosmos, and lady's mantle, for example. It will also create a lovely and unique combination with tall sedums and miscanthus.

Dahlias are stars of borders and ornamental gardens, confidently accompanying the most beautiful flowers. However, they are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste qualities quickly saw it categorised as an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.