Dahlia Impression Festivo

The Collerette Dahlia 'Impression Festivo' is a dwarf dahlia from the Impression series, selected for ornamenting terraces and balconies. 'Festivo' lives up to its promise with an especially elegant habit, combined with a beautiful floribundity. Its small flowers, as delicate as they are brightly coloured, stand upright even in the rain. They are composed of scarlet red petals and a central crown of pretty little light yellow petals flamed with red, surrounding a golden yellow centre. With a bushy and compact habit, this very pretty variety will take centre stage at the front of borders, in flower beds, and in containers.

Dahlias belong to the asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties created by humans have invaded gardens worldwide, much to our delight. The 'Impression Festivo' variety is a dwarf dahlia because it will not exceed 40 cm (16in) in all directions. It is also classified as a collerette dahlia, which is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the colourful ligules of the flowerhead are regularly arranged in a crown around a collar of tiny petals surrounding the central disc. The flowers of 'Impression Festivo' display outer ligules of intense and vibrant red, more or less edged with pale yellow, and those in the centre are light yellow, irregularly variegated with red. The flower's golden, rounded heart makes it even more luminous. Flowering occurs from July to October. The habit is bushy and compact, requiring no staking. The highly branched stems are hollow, and the leaves, particularly divided, are opposite, pinnately lobed, meaning they are subdivided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are dark green. 

To promote repeat flowering, take care to remove faded flowers, or better yet, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Impression Festivo' pairs particularly well with yellow or white flowers and silver foliage that won't overshadow its blooming. In the front of flower beds, this dahlia will create colourful spots alongside Echinaceas or California poppies, for example, which bloom at the same time, as well as Hemerocallis or asters. This modestly sized variety is particularly suited to container gardening, for easily decorating the terrace or balcony.

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