Dahlia Babylon Red

The 'Babylon Red' decorative Dahlia will delight enthusiasts of giant flowers with exceptional colours. The flowers of this variety, of the "dinnerplate" type, are truly enormous, as wide as a plate, well double, slightly flattened, and a very pure red with a slightly purple heart. Despite their size, these sumptuous flowers show excellent resistance due to their structure that allows rain to flow through. The plant, otherwise sturdy, produces very rigid stems. And the spectacle of this flowering, visible from far away, is constantly renewed from July until the first frosts.

Dahlias are tuberous plants from the large Asteraceae family, originally native to the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, much to our delight, gardens all over the world. Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flower. 'Babylon Red' is classified in the category of decorative Dahlias, but also as Giants, due to the size of its heads. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a spiral, they can be bent towards the stem or curled, for example. In this variety, the heads are 20 to 25cm (8 to 10in) in diameter and their ligules are oval to lanceolate, slightly pleated and folded, with a fine texture. Flowering takes place from July to October-November. The plant will reach an average height of 1m (3ft) and a width of 60 to 70cm (24 to 28in), with a bushy and upright habit. The very branched stems are hollow and the leaves are divided into 3 or 5 very denticulate leaflets. The leaves are a fairly dark green and the stems are more or less tinged with purple.

To promote repeat flowering and extend the flowering period, take care to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly create attractive colourful bouquets by combining various varieties. Decorative Dahlias go well with Gauras and Cleomes, which will lighten their generous silhouette and bountiful flowering. The dazzling flowers of 'Babylon Red' also allow for numerous associations in floral compositions. The beautiful stature of this variety makes it suitable for the back of perennial beds, of course, to structure an ensemble composed of flowering shrubs (Cotinus, Compact Winged Euonymus, Loropetalum) and lower perennials. The flowering of Echinaceas is perfect in accompaniment to that of Dahlias, as well as that of perennial salvias, for example. Also consider grasses (Miscanthus, Stipa arundinacea, Eragrostis trichodes) which take on lovely colours in autumn.

As a star plant in ornamental gardens, Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers. They are perfect in flower beds but can also enhance the vegetable garden. In Mexico, these tubers were first cultivated as root vegetables for consumption. Their poor taste quickly relegated them to the rank of ornamental plants. Since then, interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.