Dahlia 'Purbeck Lydia' (S-c) — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Purbeck Lydia' (S-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 'Purbeck Lydia' (S-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.

About

Dahlia 'Purbeck Lydia' (S-c) is a tuberous, clump-forming dahlia cultivar that produces blooms from July to October. It is a herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae with green, occasionally darker, foliage and a well-branched habit. Plant in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered site with neutral loam kept moist but well drained. Suitable for borders, containers and for cutting.

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 'Purbeck Lydia' (S-c) belongs to the Asteraceae and is offered as a bedding, herbaceous perennial that grows from tubers into a clump-forming specimen. The plantType and habit mean it performs as a seasonal perennial, supplying flowers through the late summer into autumn. Give it full sun on a south-facing, sheltered aspect and a loam soil of neutral pH that remains moist yet drains freely; heavy waterlogging should be avoided. The cultivar carries an H4 hardiness rating (average), so in most parts of the UK it can be kept in the border as a herbaceous perennial, while exposed sites benefit from additional protection. Flowering runs from July to October, so siting and soil that favour steady growth will lengthen the display window. Where it works best: place plants in mixed borders or in containers large enough for tuberous growth, and include it among beds intended for cut flowers. The foliage is generally green, sometimes darker, and stems cut cleanly for vases; expect a reliable sequence of blooms through July to October that suit both border impact and indoor arrangements.