Dahlia 'Old Gold' (D) (Dahlia) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Old Gold' (D) is a bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial bedding in the genus Dahlia, part of the Asteraceae family, with green, occasionally dark-leaved foliage. Dahlia 'Old Gold' (D) 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 'Old Gold' is a clump-forming, tuberous herbaceous perennial grown for summer to autumn flowering from July to October. It forms well-branched clumps with green, occasionally darker, foliage and is suited to cutting as well as border and container planting. Place it in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered site in a loam-based, neutral soil that stays moist but drains freely. The plant sits in the Asteraceae family and is treated as a bedding perennial in many UK gardens.

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 'Old Gold' belongs to the genus Dahlia within the Asteraceae family and is cultivated as a tuberous, herbaceous perennial for its long flowering period from July to October. It is managed as a bedding plant or permanent clump; foliage is normally green though some shoots may be darker, which can add subtle contrast in a mixed border. Choose a sunny, south-facing site with shelter from prevailing winds and plant into loam with a neutral pH. The soil should retain moisture yet be free-draining; avoid waterlogged positions. In the UK this cultivar is rated H4, which translates to average garden hardiness and means it will succeed across most British gardens though the coldest sites may need attention over winter. Dahlia 'Old Gold' is appropriate for mixed borders, larger containers and as a source of cut flowers through late summer into autumn. Position it where its summer display can be seen and harvested; stems make useful blooms for arrangements through the season from July to October.