Dahlia 'Eastwood Moonlight' (S-c) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Eastwood Moonlight' (S-c) is a bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial bedding in the genus Dahlia, part of the Asteraceae family, with green, occasionally dark-leaved foliage. Dahlia 'Eastwood Moonlight' (S-c) 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 'Eastwood Moonlight' (S-c) is a clump-forming, tuberous dahlia that flowers from July to October. It produces a well-branched mound of foliage, sometimes appearing darker on some plants, and is sold as a bedding, herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae. Position in full sun on neutral loam that stays moist but drains well, with a south-facing, sheltered aspect. Recommended uses are borders, containers and 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

Dahlia 'Eastwood Moonlight' (S-c) is a cultivated dahlia within the Asteraceae, grown for its sustained summer–autumn flowering. As a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial it returns from the rootstock each season and suits seasonal bedding and mixed herbaceous schemes. Plant in a south-facing, sheltered site where it receives full sun. A loam soil of neutral pH that remains moist but well-drained will give best results; avoid waterlogged locations. The plant carries an H4 rating (average winter hardiness), so a sheltered position helps it achieve a reliable display through the season. Foliage is generally green, with occasional darker-leaved forms appearing on some specimens. Use this dahlia in summer and autumn borders where continuous flowering into October is required, in containers on a sunny patio, or as a source of cut blooms. Its season extends through July to October, making it useful for both late-summer colour and autumn cutting for arrangements.