Dahlia Pink Silk

Dahlia 'Pink Silk' is a recent variety of decorative Dahlia, rare in cultivation, with a style that is both baroque and refined. Indifferent to climatic conditions, it produces beautiful round and fully double heads, with regular architecture, delicately coloured from soft grey-pink to a more mauve centre. It blooms for a long time, from summer to autumn, and its sturdy flowers are not afraid of rain. In flower beds, it blends well with shades of pink, purple, and deep violet. Its flowers are simply perfect in bouquets.

Dahlias are tuberous plants from the large family of Asteraceae, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have arrived, to our great pleasure, in gardens around the world. 'Pink Silk' is classified in the category of decorative Dahlias. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a spiral, they can be curved towards the stem or fringed, for example. In this variety, the heads are about 15 cm (6in) in diameter and their ligules are recurved, of a cold gray-pink or smoky grey. The heart of the flower resembles a tight bud, tinted with mauve, around a small yellow center. The flowering takes place from July to October. The plant will reach 90 cm (35in) in height, and 50 cm in width, with a bushy and upright habit. The very branched stems are hollow, the leaves are opposite and divided into denticulate leaflets. The leaves and stems are medium green.

To promote new flower growth and extend the flowering period, be sure to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly create attractive colourful bouquets by combining various varieties. The medium stature of this variety makes it suitable for the centre of perennial flower beds, of course, to structure a composition of small flowering bushes and lower perennials. The flowering of Echinaceas is perfect when accompanied by Dahlias, as they occur simultaneously, as well as the flowering of asters and perennial salvias, for example. Also consider grasses (Miscanthus saccharifolius, Stipa arundinacea, Eragrostis trichodes) that take on lovely colours in autumn.

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