Dahlia Peaches and Vanilla

Dahlia 'Peaches and Vanilla' delights us with its summer flowers of peach-coloured petals, lightly infused with a soft pink that fades to white at the tips. The plant is of modest stature, reaching a height of 50cm (20in). Its flowers are large compared to the size of the plant. The fully double flowers are filled with pointed petals perfectly organised in rosettes. It blooms from July until the first frost. This variety is wonderful in flower beds, borders, and pots.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. There are currently thousands of horticultural varieties that have conquered gardens worldwide. They are tender perennials with fleshy tubers.

'Peaches and Vanilla' is a dwarf dahlia that will not exceed 45 to 50cm (18 to 20in) in height and 50cm (20in) in width. It is also classified as a decorative dahlia, which is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ray florets of the head are regularly arranged in a spiral, and they can be bent towards the stem or curled, for example. The flowers of 'Peaches and Vanilla' measure up to 13cm (5in) in diameter. Flowering takes place from July to October. The habit is bushy and compact, and does not usually require staking. The highly branched stems are hollow. The leaves are opposite and pinnately divided, which means they are subdivided into 3 or 5 toothed lobes. The stems are purple and the foliage is dark green.

Remove faded flowers to encourage new blooms. You can use cut flowers to make colourful bouquets, combining them with other varieties.

'Peaches and Vanilla' pairs particularly well with orange, white, and pink flowers (Dahlia 'Wizard of Oz', D. 'Orfeo'), as well as with the silvery foliage of cinerarias. It will look wonderful with echinaceas, for example, which bloom at the same time. It is also a good companion to daylilies and asters. This modest-sized variety is ideal for container gardening.

Dahlias are stars of borders and ornamental gardens, confidently accompanying the most beautiful flowers. However, they are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste qualities quickly saw it categorised as an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.