Dahlia Imperialis

For years I had admired this wonderful Dahlia from afar. I mean, I had often spied it raising its lovely, bobbing head over garden fences, swaying in the breezes of the day and just attracting attention.

It is usually pink. No, - it is nearly always pink, because that is the only color I had seen until about two years ago. They are quite common in my distict in that color.

A few years ago I was visiting a neighbour, a man who is a car mechanic and also a someone I had bought a car from. He had a yard full of old cars, and also lots of spare parts and bits and pieces of junk, some that I had never seen anywhere else. To be honest, he did not have much of a garden, as he didn't really have the room nor the inclination for one.

But, he did have Dahlia imperialis and I spotted it one day as I was sitting outside his house, waiting for him to come home. Down the side of his house he had a small strip of garden with the usual run-of-the-mill plants growing neglected. Here, between all these plants, was his magnificant Tree Dahlia, in full flower. It was growing in a shady, protected area and was quite huge.

The Dahlia is named after Andreas Dahl,1751 - 1789, Swedish Physician and Botanist at Abo.

The Tree Dahlia does not like heavy frosts and often in our district of Gippsland, the flowers don't survive much past the end of May. This year, because the winter here has been very mild, the flowers have lasted right throughout the season with no frost. It will tolerate and survive mild frosts.

They grow very large root systems and you can dig these and transplant them quite easily. In a small area, they tend to quickly take over so be prepared to give them a fair piece of ground to spread about. In the dormant season, you can cover the ground around the tubers with lovely annuals.

Have a look at this web site about the Tree Dahlia: Tree Dahlia

They are known commonly as the Bell Tree Dahlia, Candelabra Tree or the Tree Dahlia.

Plant Type: Perennial

Uses: Border, Mixed Bed

Propagation: Seeds, Division, Stem cuttings

Habit: Upright

Light: Full Sun

Flower Color: White, Lavender, Purple

Blooms: Autumn

Width: 3 ft.; Height: 6 - 10 ft.

Fertility: Rich

Soil: Neutral, Moist, Well-drained

Zone: 6 - 11

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