Overview

Dahlia 'Josie Gott' (Ba) is a clump forming bedding in the genus Dahlia, part of the Asteraceae family, with deciduous foliage. It typically grows around 0.5-1 metres tall and 0.1-0.5 metres wide, reaching full size in around 1-2 years. Dahlia 'Josie Gott' (Ba) grows best in full sun, and tolerates most soils and any pH. Its UK hardiness is rated H3. Suggested uses include cut flowers, bedding and herbaceous perennial.

About

Dahlia 'Josie Gott' is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial grown for summer and autumn blooms. It reaches 0.5–1 metres in height with a spread of 0.1–0.5 metres and typically takes 1–2 years to reach its mature size. Foliage is deciduous and the plant flowers from July to October. Best situated in full sun on a sheltered, south- or east-facing site with moist but well-drained soil.

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 'Josie Gott' sits in the genus Dahlia within the Asteraceae family and is cultivated primarily as a bedding plant and for cut flowers. As a clump-forming herbaceous perennial, it establishes over one to two seasons to reach 0.5–1 metres tall and 0.1–0.5 metres across, carrying deciduous foliage and a season of bloom from July to October. Plant it in full sun on a sheltered, south- or east-facing location where soil is moist but drains freely; this cultivar tolerates clay, loam or sand and a wide pH range from acid to alkaline. The listed hardiness is H3 (borderline), so give protection in the coldest gardens or lift/manage over winter if frost damage is a concern. Positioning where wind is reduced helps preserve stems and flowers. Use Dahlia 'Josie Gott' in mixed borders and formal bedding runs, and place where stems can be cut for vases without disturbing neighbouring plants. Because it reaches its full size in 1–2 years, allow a season to fill before heavy cropping. Harvest stems through July to October for continuous, garden-grown cut flowers.

Growing conditions

Best soil and position for Dahlia

Sunlight

Full sun

Soil type

Clay, Loam, Sand

Soil pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

Soil moisture

Moist but well-drained

Aspect

South-facing, East-facing

Exposure

Sheltered

UK hardiness

H3

Plant details

Dahlia 'Josie Gott' (Ba) size, habit and characteristics

Plant type

Bedding, Herbaceous Perennial

Habit

Clump forming

Foliage

Deciduous

Height

0.5-1 metres

Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Time to full height

1-2 years

Suggested uses

Cut flowers, Bedding, Herbaceous Perennial

Care notes

Pruning and caring for Dahlia 'Josie Gott' (Ba)

Propagation

Division, Cuttings, Seed

Pest resistance

Aphids, Capsid bugs, Caterpillars, Earwigs, Glasshouse red spider mite, Slugs

Disease resistance

Powdery mildew, Grey mould, Virus

Frequently asked questions

More in the Dahlia genus

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• Dahlia 'Amazing Grace' (Misc)
• Dahlia 'Aurora's Kiss' (Ba)
• Dahlia 'Black Diamond' (Ba)