Dahlia 'Bonanza' (D) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Bonanza' (D) is a bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial bedding in the genus Dahlia, part of the Asteraceae family, with green, occasionally dark-leaved foliage. Dahlia 'Bonanza' (D) grows best in full sun, and tolerates loam soils and neutral pH. Its UK hardiness is rated H4. Suggested uses include borders, containers and cut flowers.

About

Dahlia 'Bonanza' is a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial valued for reliable flowering between July and October. It develops a well-branched clump with green foliage that is occasionally darker. Best positioned in full sun on south-facing, sheltered ground in loam with a neutral pH and soil that stays moist but drains freely. Rated H4 (average) for UK gardens, it is suited to borders, containers and for cutting.

About the genus

Dahlias come from the high meadows of Mexico, and somewhere in that heritage is the explanation for how they behave here: tender to frost, hungry, generous beyond all reason. No other plant gives you quite so much for so little. One tuber, planted after the last frost, becomes a shrub's worth of flowers by August — and the more you cut, the more they come.The range is faintly ridiculous. Tight pompoms, spiky cactus types, singles the bees adore, dinner-plates the size of your face. Whatever your garden's mood, there is a dahlia that agrees with it, which is probably why every generation falls out of love with them and then, a decade later, falls straight back in.They're at their best when much of the garden is winding down — late summer into autumn, flowering hard until the first frost calls time. I think of them as the encore. And they always play it.

Written by Henry

In the garden

Dahlia 'Bonanza' belongs to the Asteraceae and grows as a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial. Its growth habit produces multiple stems from the tuberous crown, forming a rounded clump that carries foliage which can be green or occasionally darker. Flowering runs from July to October, providing late-summer into autumn interest and stems for cutting. Plant in a site that receives full sun and is sheltered from strong winds; a south-facing position helps maximise flowering. Use a loam-based soil of neutral pH that holds moisture without waterlogging—moist but well-drained conditions suit the root system best. Where planted in containers choose a free-draining compost in a pot with good drainage and locate tubs in a protected, sunny spot. The H4 hardiness rating indicates average winter tolerance for much of the UK when sited sheltered; choose a frost-protected microclimate if available. In the garden it performs well at the back or middle of borders, in groups in large containers, and as a source of cut flowers through late summer and early autumn. Flowers from July to October supply regular stems for bouquets and arrangements.