Dahlia 'Moulin Rouge' (C) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Moulin Rouge' (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 'Moulin Rouge' (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 'Moulin Rouge' is a tuberous herbaceous perennial dahlia grown for its long flowering season from July to October. It forms a multi-stemmed, clump-forming habit with green, occasionally darker leaves. Best positioned in full sun on loam of neutral pH that stays moist but drains freely, in a south-facing, sheltered spot. Suited to borders, containers and cutting beds.

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 'Moulin Rouge' belongs to the genus Dahlia in the Asteraceae family and traces its heritage to western South America, Mexico and Central America. As a bedding and herbaceous perennial it is cultivated for summer and autumn bloom and establishes as a multi-stemmed, clump-forming tuberous plant with green, sometimes darker foliage. Place the plant in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered aspect where loam soil of neutral pH remains moist but well drained. Its UK hardiness is rated H4 (average), so select a protected, sunny site rather than an exposed one. These siting and soil conditions help the plant produce its season-long display without undue stress. Dahlia 'Moulin Rouge' works equally well in mixed borders, in large containers on a sunny patio, or grown specifically for cutting. Position it where stems are easy to harvest and its flowering period from July to October can be used to extend late-summer displays and supply stems for arrangements through early autumn.