Dahlia Inca

The Dahlia 'Inca' is a variety of decorative Dahlia with small anemone-like flowers, offering 8 cm (3in) diameter flowers in a very bright red, composed of wide and flat outer ligules, as well as a collar of small tubular inner ligules gathered in a honeycomb pattern. It blooms for a long time, from summer to autumn, above a very abundant green foliage. Its very compact growth does not require any staking and makes it an ideal variety for container gardening.

Dahlias are tuberous plants from the large asteraceae family, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the 20,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our greatest pleasure, gardens all over the world. Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flowers. 'Inca' is classified in the category of decorative Dahlias with anemone-like flowers. In this group, the colorful ligules of the head are arranged in fringed pompoms for example, surrounded by a collar of wider petals. In this variety, the heads are 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter and the outermost ligules are almost flat, a very bright red, while those in the center are short and tubular, tightly packed together like the cells of a beehive. Flowering takes place from July to October. The plant will not exceed 40 cm (16in) in all directions, with a bushy and very compact habit. The highly branched stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnatisect, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which form very denticulate lobes. The leaves and stems are medium green.

To promote reblooming and extend the flowering period, make sure to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly create attractive colorful bouquets by combining various varieties. The vibrant flowering of this variety deserves to be highlighted by the light foliage of grasses such as Panicum, Molinia, Calamagrostis), to emphasize the contrast between the delicacy of tall grasses and the bold character of its flower. The flowering of Echinaceas is perfect to accompany that of Dahlias, they occur simultaneously, as well as the flowering of cosmos or perennial salvias for example.

A star plant in cottage gardens, Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers, they are perfect in flower beds but can also enhance the vegetable garden. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste quickly relegated it to the rank of ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.