Dahlia 'Pink Perfection' (C) (Dahlia) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Pink Perfection' (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 'Pink Perfection' (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 'Pink Perfection' is a clump-forming, tuberous herbaceous perennial grown for summer to autumn flowering. It blooms reliably from July to October. The plant prefers full sun on neutral loam that is moist but well drained and suits a south-facing, sheltered spot. Use it in borders, containers or for cut flowers.

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 'Pink Perfection' belongs to the genus Dahlia in the Asteraceae family and draws on a lineage native to western South America, Mexico and Central America. As a bedding, herbaceous perennial with tuberous roots and a clump-forming habit, it is used widely for seasonal display and cutting. Locate plants in full sun on a neutral loam soil that holds moisture yet drains freely; avoid heavy waterlogging. A south-facing, sheltered position reduces wind damage to stems and concentrates warmth during the growing season. Its UK hardiness rating is H4 (average), so treat it as an average-hardy garden perennial within typical UK conditions. Planting in containers or borders suits this cultivar; good soil structure and consistent moisture promote steady flowering. It is also appropriate where cut flowers are required, as its season extends from July to October. That long flowering window makes it a reliable source of stems for arrangements late into the summer and early autumn.