Dahlia Bumble Rumble

The Collerette Dahlia 'Bumble Rumble' is an extraordinary dahlia, both in the shape of its flowers and in their remarkably contrasting bicoloured pattern. Its endless flowering appeals to both flower lovers and bees attracted to its large golden heart, until October. Its medium-sized flowers display a row of vibrant fuchsia pink petals, surrounding a collar wider than those of other varieties in this group, finely striated with deep pink on a white background. Of medium stature, this plant works wonders in flower beds or large borders. And its flowers are very beautiful in a vase.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. At present, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our greatest pleasure, gardens all over the world. The Dahlia is a perennial herbaceous plant with a tuber, a storage organ that allows it to survive the winter in a dormant and dry state. The 'Bumble Rumble' variety is classified among the Collarette Dahlias, which is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a collar, around a crown of small petals surrounding the central disc. The flower heads of 'Bumble Rumble' are about 10-11 cm (4in) in diameter. Flowering occurs from July to October. The habit is bushy, with the plant reaching about 90 cm (35in) in height and may require staking. The highly branched stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnatisect, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are dark green.

To promote repeat flowering, be sure to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Bumble Rumble' pairs particularly well with white flowers (digitalis, baby's breath) or mauve flowers (Nepetas, Agastache 'Serpentine', Anchusa 'Dropmore'). The dark foliage of physocarpus or Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' also enhances its highly contrasting flowers.

A star plant in borders and cottage 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. But its poor taste relegated it to the rank of ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.