Overview

Dahlia 'Lake Carey' (D) is a bushy, clump-forming, columnar upright bedding in the genus Dahlia, part of the Asteraceae family, with green, occasionally dark-leaved foliage. Dahlia 'Lake Carey' (D) grows best in full sun, and tolerates loam soils and neutral pH. Its UK hardiness is rated H3. Suggested uses include borders, containers and cut flowers.

About

Dahlia 'Lake Carey' is a bedding, herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae with upright, columnar stems and a clump-forming habit. It bears green, sometimes darker, foliage and produces flowers from July to October. The plant performs best in full sun on loam with a neutral pH and soil that is moist but well drained. Site it in a south-facing, sheltered position for best results.

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 'Lake Carey' is a cultivar of Dahlia valued for its upright, columnar habit and use as a bedding plant and cut flower. As a herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae, it forms a clump of well-branched stems with green, occasionally darker foliage and blooms predictably from July to October. Plant into loam-based soil with a neutral pH and ensure the ground remains moist but not waterlogged; good drainage is essential. Position in full sun on a south-facing site and avoid exposed, windy locations — the variety prefers a sheltered aspect. It is rated H3 (borderline) for UK hardiness, so give winter protection or move containers into a frost-free spot in the coldest areas. Use Dahlia 'Lake Carey' in mixed borders where vertical, columnar stems add structure, in containers on a bright patio, or grown specifically for cutting. Regularly remove spent blooms to encourage continued flowering through the July to October season. For cutting, choose stems with a few mature leaves and a fully opened head to get the best display from each bloom.

Growing conditions

Best soil and position for Dahlia

Sunlight

Full sun

Soil type

Loam

Soil pH

Neutral

Soil moisture

Moist but well-drained

Aspect

South-facing

Exposure

Sheltered

UK hardiness

H3

Plant details

Dahlia 'Lake Carey' (D) size, habit and characteristics

Plant type

Bedding, Herbaceous Perennial

Habit

Bushy, clump-forming, columnar upright

Foliage

Green, occasionally dark-leaved

Suggested uses

Borders, containers, cut flowers

Care notes

Pruning and caring for Dahlia 'Lake Carey' (D)

Propagation

Division, cuttings, seed

Pest resistance

May be susceptible to aphids, leaf miners, glasshouse red spider mite and slugs. Earwigs sometimes damage blooms. Capsid bug and caterpillars are occasional pests

Disease resistance

May be susceptible to powdery mildews in dry conditions. In wet weather grey moulds and other fungal rots can be a problem. Fungal rots can also damage stored tubers. A virus may cause stunting, leaf markings and distortion

Frequently asked questions

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