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

Overview

Dahlia 'Center Court' (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 'Center Court' (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 'Center Court' is a tuberous, clump-forming Dahlia used for bedding and as a herbaceous perennial, flowering from July to October. Leaves are generally green and may be darker on some plants. It favours full sun in loam that is neutral in pH and kept moist but well drained. Place in a south-facing, sheltered position for best results and use in borders, containers or for cut flowers.

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

A tuberous, clump-forming Dahlia, Dahlia 'Center Court' belongs to the Asteraceae and is cultivated as a bedding and herbaceous perennial. It produces its main succession of blooms between July and October, making it useful for extending colour through late summer into autumn. Foliage is normally green but can appear darker on certain specimens. Plant in a sunny, south-facing spot that is sheltered from strong winds. The cultivar performs best in a loam-based soil at neutral pH; keep the soil moist but ensure good drainage to avoid waterlogging. Hardiness is H4 (average), so it sits within the middle range of winter tolerance used in UK horticulture and is suited to many garden situations that meet those exposure and soil criteria. Dahlia 'Center Court' suits mixed borders and containers and is straightforward to include where mid to late-season flowers are needed. It also cuts well for bouquets, with flowering stretching from July to October, providing a reliable supply of blooms during that period.