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From the middle of summer, dahlias reign in our gardens. Their varieties, according to some sources, number more than 15000, and the list is constantly updated. They are one of the longest flowering perennials, their beauty will impress even the hardest heart. Dahlias are very diverse in height of bushes, color, shape and size of flowers. All of them are good in bouquets, used as flower beds, border and container plants. If you choose the right landing site, then care will be easy and will be minimized. In this article, we will present you the best varieties of dahlias with photos and names, but this is our point of view, each person decides for himself which variety is best for him, and, believe me, there are plenty to choose from.
general description
Dahlia (Dahlia) – a flowering plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, includes about 40 species and came to us from Mexico. Natural species most often reach a height of 2,5 meters, there is a species of Dahlia imperialis, growing up to 6 meters and having yellow flowers. On our plots, cultivars of Dahlia Changeable are most often grown – its numerous varieties and hybrids, and the size of the bush can be, depending on the variety, from 30 cm to 1,5 m.
dahlia flowers
What we call a dahlia flower is actually a basket inflorescence, it consists of:
- Marginal reed flowers wrapped inside;
- Curled out marginal reed flowers;
- Flat marginal reed flowers;
- Reed flowers of the collar;
- Opened tubular flowers;
- Tubular flower buds.
It is thanks to such a complex flower structure that dahlias have so many different varieties, sometimes not very similar to each other. Breeders artificially increase the number of certain flowers in the inflorescence, while others are transferred to a rudimentary form or, in general, are absent.
Root system
Another common mistake is that we call the dahlia a tuber plant. In fact, she does not have tubers, but root cones or root tubers. The tuber is a modified shoot with a thickened stem located in the ground. The root cone is a thickened root.
Dahlia classification
There are so many varieties of this perennial that they just need to be divided into groups. We will give a photo of dahlias with the names of varieties, but for now let’s try to understand their diversity.
Grouping by inflorescence size
Dahlia inflorescences can be of various sizes. It is customary to divide them as follows:
- giant – diameter exceeds 25 cm;
- large – 20-25 cm;
- medium – 15-20 cm;
- small – 10-15 cm;
- miniature – less than 10 cm.
And here are the sizes of well-developed inflorescences on healthy plants.
Grouped by Height
Before giving this classification, we note that the average growth of an adult plant will be indicated. In reality, it can vary greatly depending on the quality of the soil, weather, irrigation, top dressing. So, dahlias can be:
- tall curb – more than 1,2 m tall;
- medium-sized curb – 90-120 cm;
- undersized curb – 60-90 cm;
- flower beds – less than 60 cm;
- midgets – from 30 cm and below.
International classification of dahlias
Before giving the international classification, which was adopted in 1962, we note that some countries have their own taxonomy, for example, in Our Country these flowers are divided into 12 groups, in the USA – 20, and in France – 22. So, According to the international classification, dahlias are divided into:
- simple;
- anemone;
- collar;
- nymphaeal;
- decorative;
- spherical;
- pompoms;
- cactus;
- semi-cactus;
- transition group.
Thus, border and flower bed dahlias are divided into groups, but recently the fashion for midgets has come to us from Europe and the USA – miniature flowers grown most often from seeds and feel great as a pot culture.
Varieties according to international classification
We will give the best varieties of dahlias, from our point of view, with photographs, but there are a lot of them, so that everyone can choose a flower to their liking.
Simple
Simple dahlias differ in bush height from 45 to 60 cm, inflorescences with a diameter of about 10 cm, mainly consisting of tubular flowers surrounded by one row of reeds.
Murillo
Medium-sized variety, basket diameter – from 5 to 10 cm, color – pink, lilac, purple.
Wellow Hammer
This variety is very similar to the previous one, only the color is yellow.
Anna Karina
Bush up to 70 cm high, snow-white flower with a yellow center.
Agnes
Dahlias of a very beautiful red or crimson color, the bush for this variety is considered undersized.
Alpen Sara
A new variety of extraordinary beauty. Its white flower is painted with cherry strokes, the height of the plant is low.
Anemone
These very popular dahlias grow from 60 to 90 cm in height. They have an inflorescence usually not exceeding 10 cm in diameter. There are one or more rows of reed flowers along the edge, and inside there is a disc of large tubular ones. These dahlias got their name due to the fact that they really look a lot like anemones.
Blue Bayou
Baskets with a diameter of 10-15 cm. Reed flowers arranged in one row – purple, tubular – purple.
Asahi Chokhi
The height of the plant is less than a meter, the tubular flowers are yellow and white, the only row of reeds is white with red stripes along the edge.
Brio
Very beautiful undersized variety with petals of red shades.
Honey
Reaches 50 cm, double flowers – about 7. The outer circle has a dark pink color, and the inner circle is light yellow.
Collar
No description can convey the charm of collar dahlias. They usually grow in height by 75-120 cm, baskets – up to 10 cm in diameter. The inflorescences have one row of reed flowers, followed by a ring of transitional “collar” ones, and inside there is a tubular disk.
Night Butterfly
Attractive low variety 50-70 cm high, with maroon reed flowers, white “collar” and yellow center.
Alpen Mary Lloyd
The height of the bush is up to 1 meter, the color of the inflorescence is of different shades of crimson.
Impression Fantastico
A short bush, the outer row of petals is red, the “collar” is red and white, the middle is yellow.
Fashion Monger
A very good variety. The height can reach a meter, the inflorescences are 5-10 cm. The outer reed petals are pointed at the ends, white, with a wide stroke of red-violet color in the middle, the “collar” is white, the inner disk is yellow.
Flamenco
The height of the plant is less than a meter, the outer petals are bright red, the “collar” is light yellow, almost white with red, the inner disk is yellow.
Nymphaeaceae
Nymphaeous dahlias have a height of up to 1,2 m and flattened double inflorescences up to 15 cm in diameter. Reed flowers of this group are either flat or with slightly raised edges.
Bahamas Red
The bushes are tall, the baskets are about 8 cm, the petals are red with white tips.
Today
A tall flower, the size of the inflorescence is 13 cm. A very interesting pink variety, the middle of which and the edges of the petals are painted dark purple.
Sugar Kane
Tall bush with large baskets. Marginal flowers with raised edges, orange with white tips.
Angela
Excellent cut dahlias 120 cm high with pink large inflorescences.
Decorative
Decorative dahlias grow up to 1,5 m in height and have inflorescences of 25 cm or more with wide, blunt marginal reed flowers.
A. Hamplay
This variety can be a decoration of any bouquet. It grows up to 1,2 m, the basket is large, pink or pink-purple in color.
tartan
It has very large cherry-purple flowers with a white stripe in the center and wavy petals.
Lucky Nambre
Eternal classic – pink large dahlia.
Prince Carnival
An original light pink variety with cherry flecks and tiny streaks.
Spherical
Ball-shaped and pom-pom dahlias are very similar and differ only in the diameter of the terry inflorescence. Spherical grow up to 1,2 m and have a diameter of up to 15 cm. Reed flowers are blunt or rounded.
Antie
Classic spherical red dahlias.
Icon
Very beautiful dahlias up to 1 meter high. The yellow color of the petals is crowned with red edges.
Rocco
Spreading bush with red-violet baskets of a standard size.
Silvia
These dahlias have delicate orange-salmon buds.
Annushka
Variety of domestic selection with purple baskets.
Pompoms
In this variety of dahlias, double inflorescences in the form of a ball about 5 cm in size have folded marginal flowers with a rounded or blunt top. Bushes – 75-120 cm high.
Acrobat
A new popular tall variety up to 1,2 m tall. It has dense spherical inflorescences with pink petals folded into a tube.
Bantling
Bushes up to 0,9 m with orange dense spherical baskets and folded petals.
Anke
Bush up to 1 m tall, inflorescences perfectly round, red.
albino
A snow-white dahlia with slightly folded petals, a bush about a meter tall.
Andrew Lockwood
Bush up to 1 meter, baskets are pink, dense, with petals folded into a tube.
cactus
These dahlias reach a height of one and a half meters. Their inflorescence is up to 25 cm in diameter and more, marginal flowers are wrapped outwards almost along the entire length, which makes them appear needle-shaped.
Blutenteppyh
Intensely pink dahlias with baskets about 15 cm in diameter, low, do not even reach a meter.
White Star
Very beautiful creamy-white flowers up to 20 cm in diameter with needle-shaped, slightly curved petals of the original shape.
Black Bird
An old reliable variety of bright red color with a burgundy center, inflorescences with a diameter of about 15 cm.
Windhaven Highlight
The plant is tall – about a meter, the inflorescence is large, yellow in color.
Jessica
Tall dahlia with a large inflorescence. Marginal flowers are yellow, at the tips – red.
Semi-cactus
The height of the bushes is about 1,5 m, terry inflorescences are up to 25 cm or more, the marginal flowers are pointed and wrapped outward no more than half the length.
Aitara Success
Medium-sized dahlia up to 1 meter high, the inflorescence is painted in a harmonious combination of pale pink and light yellow.
Adlerstein
Yellow-orange large tall dahlias.
Ice Princess
Snow-white flower with a diameter of about 15 cm.
Andrew Mitchell
A red basket with a diameter of about 20 cm and a bush just below one and a half meters high.
Anna
German high grade and peach baskets up to 15 cm.
transition group
This group contains dahlias, the inflorescences of which cannot be attributed to any of the above groups.
Bishop of Llandaff
Red flowers and purple leaves are the hallmark of this famous cultivar.
Pink giraffe
The original variety with curved pink petals, an inflorescence of about 12 cm and a bush over a meter tall.
Lilliputians
Actually, midgets are not included in the International Classification of Dahlias, breeders began to pay close attention to them not so long ago. Often these flowers are grown in an annual crop from seeds, so they bloom earlier, and they usually do not need to be pinched. But this does not mean that they do not form root tubers – they can be dug up in late autumn, stored in the same way as in other varieties, and planted in the ground in spring.
white midget
Compact shrub with white flowers and yellow centers.
Jolly Fellows
Rather, not a variety, but a variety series of low, up to 30 cm, terry and simple dahlias of a wide variety of colors, known for a long time and propagated mainly by seeds.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many varieties of dahlias, they are very different, really for every taste. We do not pretend to have shown all the variety of varieties of this perennial. We just hope that we have aroused interest even among those who for some reason did not know or did not like this flower.
