Dahlia 'Spassmacher' (S-c) (dahlia 'Spassmacher') — Bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial

Overview

Dahlia 'Spassmacher' (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 'Spassmacher' (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. It is native to Western South America, Mexico and Central America.

About

Dahlia 'Spassmacher' (S-c) is a tuberous, clump-forming dahlia grown as bedding and a herbaceous perennial, flowering from July to October. It carries green, occasionally dark-leaved foliage and favours a south-facing, sheltered spot. Plant in neutral loam that stays moist but drains freely and place in full sun. It is rated H4 for UK hardiness, so choose protected sites in exposed gardens.

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

A member of the Asteraceae and of New World origin, Dahlia 'Spassmacher' (S-c) traces its ancestry to western South America, Mexico and Central America and is cultivated here as a summer–autumn bedding dahlia and herbaceous perennial. Expect blooms from July to October that extend the flowering season into autumn. The foliage is generally green and may appear darker on some plants. Position the clump in full sun on a south-facing, sheltered aspect where soil is loam and neutral in pH. The plant prefers moist but well-drained conditions; avoid waterlogged ground. Its UK hardiness is H4 (average), so it will tolerate ordinary UK winters in a sheltered border but will perform less well in very exposed sites. Use Dahlia 'Spassmacher' (S-c) in mixed borders, in containers on a protected patio, or as part of a cutting rotation — its summer to autumn flowering window suits vase work. Because foliage can be occasionally darker, it can provide subtle contrast when set against paler-leaved perennials, a detail to exploit when planning a border.