Dahlia Caramel Antique

The 'Caramel Antique' Decorative Dahlia has charming, double flowers in a delightful soft yellow colour. They are of modest size but rare elegance, blooming abundantly for three months on a medium-sized bushy plant. Combine them in your flower beds and bouquets with roses of harmonious colours or dahlias in shades of orange, for example. Their porcelain-like flowers are absolutely delightful in floral arrangements.

Dahlias are tuberous plants belonging to the large family of asters, originally native to the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties created by humans have invaded gardens worldwide, much to our delight. Dahlias are classified based on the shape of their flowers. 'Caramel Antique' is classified as a small-flowered decorative dahlia. In this group, the colourful ligules of the flower head are regularly arranged in a spiral, and they can be either curved towards the stem or fringed, for example. In this variety, the flower heads are 11 cm (4in) in diameter and their petals or ligules are wide, oval, and pale yellow, slightly tinged with a brighter yellow at the center. Flowering occurs from August to October. The plant will reach a height of approximately 90 cm (35in) and a width of 60 cm (24in), with a bushy and upright habit. The highly branched stems are hollow, and the leaves are opposite and pinnately compound, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which have finely toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are a medium green colour.

To promote repeat flowering and extend the flowering period, be sure to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly create alluring colourful bouquets by combining various varieties. The medium height of the 'Caramel Antique' variety makes it suitable for decorating flower beds of tall perennial plants or low shrubs. The flowering of Echinaceas is perfect when accompanied by dahlias, as they bloom simultaneously, as well as flowering shrubby salvias, for example. Also consider ornamental grasses (Miscanthus saccharifolius, Stipa arundinacea, Eragrostis trichodes) that take on beautiful colours in autumn.

As a star plant in ornamental gardens, dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers. They are perfect for flowerbeds but 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. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.