Dahlia 'Julio' (Ba) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Julio' (Ba) is a bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial bedding in the genus Dahlia, part of the Asteraceae family, with green, occasionally dark-leaved foliage. Dahlia 'Julio' (Ba) 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 'Julio' is a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial in the genus Dahlia that carries a long flowering season from July to October. It forms a well-branched clump with green or occasionally darker leaves and prefers a sunny, sheltered position. Plant in loam with a neutral pH that remains moist but drains freely. Use in borders, containers or for cutting to bring sustained blooms through summer and early autumn.

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 'Julio' belongs to the genus Dahlia in the Asteraceae and is grown as a bedding and herbaceous perennial. It sets a succession of blooms from July to October, making it a reliable source of summer–autumn flowers. The plant naturally forms tuberous, clump-forming stems and can carry slightly darker foliage on some plants. Sit the plant in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered aspect to encourage consistent flowering. It does best in loam with a neutral pH and soil that is moist but well drained; avoid waterlogging at the roots. In UK hardiness terms it is H4, equivalent to average hardiness, so give protection from severe winter exposure where local conditions are colder than average. Dahlia 'Julio' suits mixed borders and large containers and performs well when grown for cut flowers because of its extended bloom period. Position it where its mid- to late-summer stems can be cut without disturbing neighbouring plants. Regular deadheading of spent blooms will help maintain flowering from July through October and supply stems for indoor arrangements late into the season.