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

Overview

Dahlia 'Yara' (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 'Yara' (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 'Yara' is a tuberous, clump-forming Dahlia that flowers from July to October. It forms a well-branched, rounded clump with green, occasionally darker, leaves and prefers full sun on neutral loam that remains moist but drains. Place in a south-facing, sheltered spot where it can be grown in borders or containers and cut for summer and autumn displays. Hardiness H4 (average).

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 'Yara' is a named Dahlia within the Asteraceae family, grown as a bedding and herbaceous perennial for summer and autumn bloom. It produces its display between July and October and carries green, sometimes darker, foliage on a multi-stemmed clump. The plant type suits gardeners who want season-long flowers in the warmer months. Give Dahlia 'Yara' a sunny, south-facing site with some shelter from prevailing winds; exposure in a sheltered aspect helps stems hold flowers. It performs best in loam soil with a neutral pH that is kept moist but well drained. These conditions support steady growth through the flowering season without waterlogging or prolonged drought stress. In UK gardens Dahlia 'Yara' works equally well at the front or middle of mixed borders, in containers where a south-facing, protected position can be provided, and for cutting to bring blooms indoors. Its H4 (average) hardiness rating indicates it performs in typical UK conditions with usual seasonal care. Positioning where it will receive full sun and protection from strong exposure will make the most of its July–October flowering run.