Dahlia Penhill Dark Monarch

Dahlia 'Penhill Dark Monarch' is an impressive "dinnerplate" variety, similar to the famous 'Café au Lait'. It produces enormous tousled flowers with a diameter of 25cm (10in). Its playful colours form a tangy blend of apricot, raspberry-pink, and cream. The fully double and open blooms display a dark pink blush at the centre. They are carried high above the foliage by sturdy, dark-coloured stems. It blooms from July until the first frost. This variety is wonderful in beds and sublime in bouquets.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. There are currently thousands of horticultural varieties that have conquered gardens worldwide. They are tender perennials with fleshy tubers.

Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flowers. 'Penhill Dark Monarch' is classified as a decorative dahlia. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a spiral, and can be bent towards the stem or fringed, for example. In this variety, the heads have large, pointed, slightly pleated fringed petals or ligules that are arranged loosely. Flowering takes place from July to October-November. Depending on the maturity of the flower, the rose-orange colour of this variety can take on different shades of pink, with the centre of the inflorescence always leaning towards dark pink. The plant reaches 1.2 to 1.5m (4 to 5ft) in height, and 70cm (28in) in width, with a bushy and upright habit. The branched stems are hollow. The leaves are opposite and pinnately compound, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 toothed leaflets. The leaves are of a medium green and the stems are tinged with purple.

Remove faded flowers to encourage new blooms. You can use cut flowers to make colourful bouquets, combining them with other varieties.

Decorative dahlias pair well with gauras and cleomes that lighten their generous silhouette. The spectacular flowers of 'Penhill Dark Monarch' are versatile, making them perfect in floral arrangements. The large size of this variety makes it suitable for the centre or back of mixed borders, or to structure a composition composed of shrubs with purple foliage such as cotinus or loropetalum and lower plants. Echinaceas are perfect companions as they bloom simultaneously. Also consider planting it with grasses like miscanthus or Stipa arundinacea that take on beautiful shades in autumn.

Dahlias are stars of borders and ornamental gardens, confidently accompanying the most beautiful flowers. However, they are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste qualities quickly saw it categorised as an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.