Dahlia Banana Baby

Dahlia 'Banana Baby' is a variety of Dahlia known as a 'ball' Dahlia, with a light lemon yellow colour, bright and fresh like a spring sun. The flowers are shaped like large slightly flattened pompoms, arranged in countless alveoli that play with the light and give them relief. The plant, of fairly tall stature, blooms abundantly from summer to frost, on long and sturdy stems, with impeccable endurance in bouquets as well as in borders. Its radiant flowers look stunning with red flowers, acid green euphorbias, and golden plumes of grasses.

Dahlias are part of the Asteraceae family, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico, and bear inflorescences in heads, which we commonly call 'flowers'. At present, the thousands of horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our great pleasure, gardens all over the world.

The 'Banana Baby' variety reaches a height of approximately 1.20m (4ft) after 3 to 4 months of cultivation, with a diameter of 50-60cm (20-24in). It is classified among Dahlias of the decorative group, with ball-shaped flowers. In this category, the heads are without a visible centre, and they consist of numerous petals (ligules) regularly arranged and completely rolled up, tubular and never flaring. It includes varieties that form true balls, such as pompoms (diameter less than 6cm (2in)) and balls (diameter greater than 6cm (2in)). The heads of this 'Banana Baby' variety generally measure 10cm (4in) in diameter. The plant has an upright and bushy habit. The flowering of this variety begins in July and ends in October-November. The stems, very branching, long and sturdy, are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnatisect, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 highly toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are a vibrant green here.

To encourage repeat flowering, take care to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Banana Baby' produces very bright flowers in bouquets, alongside single or pompom varieties, in white, orange, red or purple. Its long, heavily flowered stems allow for beautiful bouquets late in the season. In borders, this Dahlia pairs perfectly with grasses such as squirreltail barley or tall perennials like Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii. Also consider pairing it with Gerbera 'Sweet Sweet Glow' with its vibrant orange flowers.

As a star plant in borders and cottage gardens, Dahlias confidently accompany the most beautiful flowers, but are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. However, its poor taste qualities assigned it the status of an ornamental plant. The Dahlia, with its infinitely varied shapes and colours, is now considered one of the most beautiful flowers in the garden.