Dahlia Blue Wish

The Decorative Dahlia Blue Wish is a very recent variety, not really blue, but which comes even closer to this rare bluish shade of Dahlia flowers. Its large fully double flowers are white with purple tips when they first open, then they gradually turn into a more uniform lilac colour over the course of a few days, creating a beautiful two-tone effect. The plant, vigorous and floriferous, forms a large flowering bush from summer until the first frost. Its flowers, carried on long stems, look stunning when planted in the background of a flower bed with purple, white, or various shades of pink flowers. They are also perfect for creating generous bouquets.

Dahlias are tuberous plants belonging to the large Asteraceae family, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties created by humans have invaded gardens all over the world, much to our delight. Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flowers. 'Blue Wish' belongs to the category of Decorative Dahlias. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are arranged regularly in a spiral, and can be curved towards the stem or even fringed. In this variety, the heads are composed of numerous ligules, with those on the periphery being almost flat and those in the centre distinctly recurved. Their colour ranges from white with a hint of violet to almost uniform lavender mauve. They bloom from July to September-October. The plant reaches a height of 1.20m (4ft) and a width of 60cm (24in), with a bushy and upright habit. The highly branched stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnately compound, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which have very denticulate lobes. The leaves and stems are dark green.

To encourage repeat flowering and extend the flowering period, make sure to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly create attractive colour combinations by combining different varieties. The tall stature of this variety makes it suitable for the back of perennial flower beds, to structure a composition made up of flowering shrubs and shorter perennials. The flowering of Echinaceas is perfect when accompanied by Dahlias, as they bloom simultaneously, as well as perennial salvias or asters, for example. Also consider ornamental grasses (Miscanthus saccharifolius, Stipa arundinacea, Eragrostis trichodes) which take on beautiful colours in autumn.

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