Dahlia Rip City

Dahlia Rip City is a sumptuous variety, offering enormous campanulate flowers, wide and very double, in a rich palette of dark red tones and velvety garnet. Flowers with a very dark purple heart that appears almost black. While this grand classic, often planted in Monet's garden in Giverny, surprises with the richness and depth of its color, it also seduces with the vigor of its dark green vegetation, overflowing with health. It blooms from July to October, combining its purple stems with the panicles of amaranth and the fragrance of mignonette.

Dahlias belong to the RNA family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. At present, the some 25000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our greatest pleasure, gardens worldwide. They are perennial plants, hardy with fleshy tubers. The 'Rip City' variety forms a bushy clump that reaches 1.10 m (4ft) in height and 1 m (3ft) in width in 3 to 4 months. This cultivar is part of the ligulate dahlias with cactus flowers, or more precisely semi-cactus; it is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head incompletely curl up for at least a third of their length. The flowering of this variety begins in July and ends in October. The heads measure 18 cm (7in) in diameter, with ligules of a dark red satin colour on the outside, darkening significantly towards the center of the head, almost appearing black. The habit is bushy and erect, with strong, highly branched and hollow stems of a dark red colour. Its leaves are opposite, compound, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 dentate lobes. The leaves and stems are dark green.

To extend the flowering period and promote floral regrowth, take care to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly cut them to create enticing colourful bouquets by combining several varieties.

'Rip City' highlights the pastel and delicate flowering of phlox, Salvia leucantha, campanulas, cosmos, and other hastate verbenas. It also pairs well with the wine-coloured panicles of love-lies-bleeding amaranth, castor oil plant, Ysatis, and large daisies. In a border, it will also perfectly complement Echinaceas, Heleniums, and crested hair grass. With Sedum and miscanthus, it will also make a lovely original mix.

As a star plant in borders and herb gardens, Dahlias confidently accompany the most beautiful flowers but are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuber was initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. However, its poor taste qualities relegated it to the status of an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.