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

Overview

Dahlia 'Purpurröschen' (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 'Purpurröschen' (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 'Purpurröschen' is a tuberous, clump-forming herbaceous perennial grown as bedding and for cut flowers. It flowers from July to October. Plants carry green foliage and can show darker leaves on some stems. Sit it in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered spot in moist but well-drained loam of neutral pH.

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 'Purpurröschen' belongs to the genus Dahlia in the Asteraceae family and is cultivated as a bedding, herbaceous perennial with tuberous roots. It forms a rounded clump of stems and leaves and provides a steady display from July to October, making it useful where a seasonal run of blooms is needed. Leaves are normally green though some plants display darker foliage. For best performance place the plant in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered site in loam that holds moisture without waterlogging; the soil should be close to neutral pH. The plant is rated H4 (average hardy) in the UK, so it will survive typical conditions across much of the country but benefits from a sheltered aspect in exposed gardens. Keep soil moist but well drained to avoid tuber rot. Use Dahlia 'Purpurröschen' in formally planted bedding runs, mixed or herbaceous borders and containers where its flowering season can be appreciated, and cut stems for indoor arrangements. Because it is tuberous and clump-forming, it fits well where a repeatable seasonal bedding effect is required and supplies a reliable stretch of flowering for cutting from mid summer into autumn.