Dahlia Jowey Joshua

The Dahlia Jowey Joshua is a delightful variety of Dahlia known as a 'ball' Dahlia, with medium-sized flowers in the shape of pompoms, displaying a gorgeous two-tone colour combination of brick red and creamy yellow, full of dynamism and cheerfulness. Its flowers are precisely and curiously organized into countless compartments, each small red chamber formed by the tubular petals animated by a beautiful soft yellow flame. The plant blooms abundantly from summer to frost and has a bushy and upright habit, supported by long stems, with an impeccable appearance in bouquets as well as in the background of borders.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico, and bear inflorescences in heads, commonly referred to as 'flowers'. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our great pleasure, gardens worldwide.
The 'Jowey Joshua' variety, still rare in cultivation, will measure approximately 90 cm (35in) in height and 60 cm (24in) in diameter after 3 to 4 months of cultivation. It is classified among the Dahlias of the decorative group with ball-type flowers. In this category, the heads are without visible hearts, and composed of numerous petals (ligules) regularly arranged and completely rolled up on themselves, tubular, and never flaring. This includes varieties that form true balls, such as pompoms (diameter less than 6 cm (2in)) and balls (diameter greater than 6 cm (2in)). The heads of this Jowey Joshua variety generally measure 8 cm (3in) in diameter. The ligules are creamy yellow on the outside and reddish-brown on the inside. The center of the head is more mauve, surrounding a small yellow heart. The plant has an upright habit, and its stems sometimes require staking. The flowering of this variety begins in July and ends in October-November, if faded flowers are regularly removed or used for bouquets. The habit is bushy and upright. The highly branched, long and sturdy stems are hollow, and the leaves are opposite, pinnately divided into 3 or 5 deeply toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are a vibrant dark green.

To promote repeat flowering, take care to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly create large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Jowey Joshua' produces beautiful flowers in bouquets, in the company of single or pompom flowered varieties, white, orange, or even red to almost black. This variety stands out beautifully against the green or purple foliage of fennel or the acidic green of lady's mantle. In borders, this cheerful Dahlia will create vibrant spots alongside grasses and Echinaceas, for example, which flower at the same time. Its long, heavily flowered stems allow for bouquet arrangements late in the season.

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 initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. However, its poor taste qualities assigned it the rank of an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.