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

Overview

Dahlia 'Peter' (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 'Peter' (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 'Peter' is a well-branched, clump-forming, tuberous perennial dahlia in the Asteraceae grown for flowering from July to October. Stems bear green, occasionally darker, leaves and produce a succession of blooms through late summer and autumn. It prefers full sun on a moist, neutral loam in a south-facing, sheltered spot. Suited to borders, containers and cutting for the vase, it carries the H4 (average) hardiness rating.

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 'Peter' is a tuberous cultivar within the genus Dahlia (family Asteraceae), selected for garden flowering from July to October. As a clump-forming, well-branched perennial it regrows from fleshy tubers and repeats bloom over several months during the summer and early autumn. Plant in full sun on a loam-based soil with a neutral pH and consistent moisture that nevertheless drains freely; waterlogging is detrimental. A south-facing position with shelter from strong, drying winds helps maintain flower production and prevents stems from flopping. Its UK hardiness rating is H4 (average), so select a site away from cold air pockets if you are in a marginal location. Use Dahlia 'Peter' in mixed borders where a prolonged summer-to-autumn display is needed, in large containers on a sunny patio, or grown specifically for cut flowers; blooms arrive reliably between July and October, making it useful for late-summer arrangements. Treat the tubers as part of your seasonal routine so the clumps remain vigorous year to year.