Dahlia Hartenaas

The Dahlia 'Hartenaas' is a small variety, as romantic as a Japanese anemone, whose pink flowering adorned with an adorable collar exudes excellent poetry. It offers from summer to frost semi-double flowers, formed by medium pink petals, edged and pointed with a lighter pink, sometimes white, surrounding a central crown of slightly lighter crumpled petals centred on a solar heart—a lovely variety to plant in borders or romantic borders.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, some 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our greatest pleasure, gardens worldwide.
The 'Collerette Hartenaas' variety is a semi-dwarf Dahlia with ramified vegetation, which will not exceed 60 cm (24in) in height by 50 cm (20in) in width. It is also classified among the collarette Dahlias, a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the capitulum are regularly arranged in a crown around a collar of tiny petals surrounding the central disk. The flowers of 'Hartenaas' show outer ligules of a fresh pink variegated with pale pink, and those in the centre are barely lighter. The flower's large, golden, rounded heart makes it even brighter. Flowering occurs from July to October, and the capitula press against each other on abundant foliage. The habit is bushy and compact, requiring no staking. The branched stems are hollow,w and the leaves are opposite, pinnately lobed, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are medium green.

To promote flowering again, cut off faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining themhem with other varieties. 'Hartenaas' particularly pairs well with blue or white flowers and the purple foliage of heucheras (Heuchera XXL). In the front of borders, this Dahlia will form colourful spots in the company of Rudbeckia hirta, Salvia splendens, or Echinaceas, for example, which bloom simultaneously. It will also harmonize well with Cleomes or Asters. This modest-sized variety is also suitable for container cultivation, making decorating the terrace or balcony easy.

A star plant in borders and kitchen gardens, Dahlias confidently accompany the most beautiful flowers but are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. But its poor taste qualities assigned it to the rank of ornamental plant. Since then, interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.