Dahlia 'Omega' (Fim) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Omega' (Fim) is a bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial bedding in the genus Dahlia, part of the Asteraceae family, with green, occasionally dark-leaved foliage. Dahlia 'Omega' (Fim) 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 'Omega' is a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae grown for its summer–autumn flowering. It bears green foliage with occasional darker-leaved forms and produces blooms from July to October. Plant in a south-facing, sheltered spot in full sun with a neutral loam kept moist but well drained. It suits borders, containers and cutting for vases.

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 'Omega' is a cultivated Dahlia in the Asteraceae, raised for garden bedding and late-season bloom. As a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial it carries green, sometimes darker leaves and a succession of flowers through the latter half of the year. Flowers appear from July to October and provide useful stems for cutting. Position plants in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered site. A loam soil with neutral pH that remains moist yet drains freely is ideal; avoid waterlogged pockets. The plant’s UK hardiness is H4 (average), so plan siting and any winter protection appropriate to that rating in colder districts. Dahlia 'Omega' performs well in mixed borders where its season extends summer planting, and it adapts to containers large enough for the tubers and root run. Where cutting is required, select firm stems and work from the centre of the clump to maintain form. Its combination of repeated flowering and firm stems makes it a practical choice for late-summer and autumn displays and vase work.