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

Overview

Dahlia 'Formby Art' (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 'Formby Art' (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 'Formby Art' is a tuberous, clump-forming bedding perennial that flowers from July to October. It produces multiple upright stems from the tubers with green foliage and occasional darker-leaved forms. Position in full sun on neutral loam that stays moist but drains freely, ideally in a south-facing, sheltered spot. The plant carries an H4 hardiness rating — classed as average for UK gardens.

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 'Formby Art' is a tuberous, herbaceous perennial raised for summer and autumn flowering. As a bedding plant it develops a multi-stemmed clump from its tubers and carries green foliage that can sometimes be darker on certain plants. Its habit and flowering season make it appropriate where repeated blooms are wanted through the warmer months. Select a site in full sun with a south-facing aspect and some shelter from cold winds. A loam-based soil with a neutral pH that is moist but well drained suits this dahlia best; poor drainage invites problems, while overly dry soil will limit flowering. The H4 hardiness rating corresponds to average garden conditions in the UK, so treat it as suitable for most locations rather than a specialist alpine or alpine house plant. Dahlia 'Formby Art' works well in mixed borders, planted singly or in groups, and is equally at home in large containers where soil quality and moisture can be controlled. It also provides stems for cutting throughout its season. Expect steady flowering from July to October, making it useful for summer and early autumn displays as well as for supplying cut blooms.