Dahlia Seniors Dream.

Dahlia Senior's Dream is a small decorative dahlia, still little diffused in the trade despite its undeniable dynamism. It seduces with the abundance and vivacity of its round and bicolour flowers, pointed from carmine pink to magenta on a white-pink background, but also with its squat and dense habit that gives it the appearance of a large display joyfully flowering until late in the season. A solid and versatile variety, which does not require staking, has its place in a flower garden, in the company of flowering shrubs and perennials. It is well suited to pot cultivation and its petal-like flowers allow for generous bouquets to be created. A true favourite!

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. At present, the some 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have arrived, to our great pleasure, in gardens all over the world.
The 'Senior's Dream' variety is a semi-dwarf dahlia, it will not exceed 60 cm (24in) in all directions. It is also classified as a decorative dahlia, which is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a spiral, they can be curved towards the stem or curled for example. The flowers of 'Senior's Dream' are 8 cm in diameter. The ligules are oval in shape, almost flat. Those located on the outside are white-pink, strongly margined with magenta-red, and those in the centre are smaller, slightly bordered with magenta, edged with carmine. The golden heart of the flower only appears late, just before fading. The flowering period is from July to October. The habit is bushy and compact, not requiring staking. The very branched stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnately divided into 3 or 5 highly toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are dark green with a bluish tint.

To promote flowering, take care to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Senior's Dream' pairs particularly well with pink, purple, and white flowers. In the front of borders, this dahlia will create highly colourful spots in the company of Echinaceas, for example, which flower at the same time, as well as Daylilies or Asters. This modest-sized variety is particularly suited for pot cultivation, to easily decorate the patio or balcony.

As the star plant of cottage gardens, Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers, they are perfect in flower beds but can also enhance the vegetable garden. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first 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.