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

Overview

Dahlia 'Master David' (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 'Master David' (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 'Master David' is a tuberous, clump-forming bedding dahlia noted for its sustained flowering from July to October. It carries green, occasionally darker foliage and produces multiple stems suited to cutting. Position in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered site with neutral loam that stays moist but drains freely. Suitable for borders, containers and providing cut flowers through summer and 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 'Master David' is a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae, grown principally as bedding and for cutting. The plant forms a rounded clump of stems topped by summer-to-autumn blooms, and foliage may be plain green or occasionally darker. Flowering runs from July to October, making it a reliable source of stems for vases over several months. Plant in a sunny, south-facing spot that is protected from cold winds; exposure should be sheltered to protect the stems and flowers. It prefers a loam-based soil of neutral pH that remains moist but well drained — avoid waterlogged patches and very alkaline or very acidic ground. In UK hardiness terms the variety is H4 (average), so it suits most gardens when sited carefully in a sheltered, sunny aspect. Use Dahlia 'Master David' where you want regular summer and autumn blooms: tuck it into mixed borders, place in large containers on a warm patio, or grow for regular cutting. Because it produces multiple stems, it performs well as a source of cut flowers between July and October when you can harvest fresh stems for indoor display.