Dahlia Cape Town

The 'Cape Town' decorative Dahlia is a variety with very double flowers, in a beautiful soft yellow colour, more or less enhanced by a red shade that seems to have been brushed onto some petals. The effect is more pronounced in the centre of the flower. Well-opened, the small-sized flowers are carried well above the dark green foliage by sturdy stems. The spectacle of this vibrant and luminous flowering is constantly renewed from July until the first frost. The plant is quite low, it can adorn borders, the foreground of flower beds, or containers.

Dahlias are tuberous plants from the large aster family, originally native to the high plateaus of Mexico. At present, the thousands of horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our great pleasure, gardens all over the world. Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flowers. 'Cape Town' is classified in the category of decorative Dahlias. In this group, the colorful ligules of the head are arranged regularly in a spiral, they can be curved towards the stem or fringed, for example. In this variety, the heads measure 10cm (4in) in diameter and the ligules are quite wide, almost flat, arranged loosely. Flowering occurs from July to October-November. The plant reaches an average height of 60 to 75cm (24 to 30in), and 50cm (20in) in width, with a bushy and erect habit. The very branching 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 are a fairly dark green and the stems are particularly sturdy.

If you take care to remove the faded flowers, you will benefit from a prolonged flowering period. Even more enjoyable, create beautiful full bouquets with the generous dahlias by combining various varieties. Lighten the silhouette of decorative dahlias by associating them with more airy flowers such as Gauras, salvias, or Echinaceas. Fine-leaved plants like grasses play the same role and add beautiful golden spikes. Plant 'Cape Town' in the middle of a bed of bushes and lower perennials, in the company of yellow, red, purple, and orange flowers such as daylilies.

As a star plant in cottage gardens, Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers, they are impeccable in a flowering bed, but can also enhance a vegetable garden. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first 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.