Dahlia 'Lover Boy' (S-c) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Lover Boy' (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 'Lover Boy' (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. It is native to Western South America, Mexico and Central America.

About

Dahlia 'Lover Boy' (S-c) is a well-branched, clump-forming tuberous perennial valued for its extended flowering from July to October. It belongs to the Asteraceae and traces its origins to western South America, Mexico and Central America. Foliage is green and can be occasionally darker; position on a south-facing, sheltered site in loam with neutral pH for best results in borders, containers or as 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 'Lover Boy' (S-c) is a tuberous, herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae, selected for garden bedding and summer-to-autumn bloom. Its natural range lies in western South America, Mexico and Central America, and the plant's perennial habit responds well to a season of warm, sunny conditions before autumn draws down growth. Plant in full sun on a loam-based soil of neutral pH that remains moist but drains freely; a south-facing, sheltered aspect helps extend the flowering period. The species is rated H4, which corresponds to average winter hardiness in the UK, so choose sites that do not remain waterlogged through winter. Keep soil consistently moist rather than waterlogged for the best display. Use Dahlia 'Lover Boy' (S-c) in mixed borders, in suitably large containers, or for cutting into vases where a run of flowers from July to October is required. Leaves are green and sometimes develop darker tones, which can add a subtle contrast to floral displays. Regular cutting during the flowering months provides continuous stems for arrangements and keeps the plants in active bloom through the season.