Dahlia Bourbon Street

The 'Bourbon Street' Decorative Dahlia blooms on a relatively low plant with large, double flowers that are elegantly formed in warm tones and are full of texture. Their colour is a peachy pink bordered by a darker pink, with a golden yellow centre that radiates throughout the flower. The heart is dark pink. The plant forms a bushy clump and blooms late in the season, with abundant medium green foliage.

Dahlias are part of the large family of asters and are originally native to the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the thousands of horticultural varieties created by humans have invaded gardens around the world, much to our delight. Dahlias are classified based on the shape of their flowers. 'Bourbon Street' is classified in the category of Ornamental Dahlias. In this group, the colourful ligules of the head are arranged regularly in a spiral, they can be curved towards the stem or even curled. In this variety, the heads are approximately 14cm (6in) in diameter and the ligules are wide, flat and slightly concave. Flowering occurs from mid-July to October. The plant reaches approximately 60cm (24in) in height, and 40cm (16in) in width, with a bushy and upright habit. The highly branched stems are hollow and the opposite leaves are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which are finely toothed. The foliage is a beautiful intense green.

To encourage continuous flowering and extend the flowering period, be sure to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly create attractive colourful bouquets by combining different varieties. The small size of this 'Bourbon Street' variety makes it suitable for borders, the front of flowerbeds or containers. Its vibrant colour pairs well with purple, yellow, orange, and brown. The blooming of sunflowers, Cosmos, asters, and Echinaceas beautifully accompanies the blooming of dahlias in summer and early autumn. Also consider the shimmering spikes of ornamental grasses during this time of year.

As stars of curated gardens, Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers, perfect in flowerbeds, and can also enhance vegetable gardens. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste quickly relegated it to the status of an ornamental plant.