Dahlia Alyshia

The 'Alyshia' anemone-flowered Dahlia offers a flower of a beautiful colour located between red and old pink. Of medium stature, it produces an abundance of flowers in variable-shaped heads, composed of a more or less double collar of old pink petals, surmounted by a frizzy-looking heart, barely a little redder, more or less developed. These somewhat whimsical flowers have a lot of charm in floral compositions.

Dahlias are tuberous plants of the large Asteraceae family, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. At present, the thousands of horticultural varieties obtained by man have invaded, to our great pleasure, gardens all over the world. Dahlias are classified according to the shape of their flower. 'Alyshia' is classified in the category of decorative Dahlias with anemone flowers. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are arranged in pompoms in the centre and surrounded by a wider collar of ligules. In this variety, the heads are 10cm (4in) in diameter and the outer ligules are almost flat, arranged in a semi-double to double collar. Those in the centre are shorter, tubular, and fringed, tightly packed together like a cushion. This heart is more or less developed depending on the heads, some resembling classic decorative dahlias. Flowering takes place from July to October. The plant reaches a height of 80cm (32in) to 1m (3ft), with a bushy and dense habit. The highly branched stems are hollow and the leaves are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which are toothed. The leaves are quite dark green, while the stems are more or less purplish.

To encourage repeat flowering and extend the flowering period, take care to remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly compose attractive colourful bouquets by combining various varieties. The richly coloured flowering of this 'Alyshia' variety is enhanced by the foliage and delicate spikes of grasses (Briza media, Panicum, Molinia, Calamagrostis), to emphasize the contrast between the delicacy of tall grasses and the more refined character of its flower. The flowering of Amaranthus, Agastaches, and Echinaceas is perfect in accompaniment to the Dahlias, as they bloom simultaneously, as well as Cosmos or perennial salvias, for example.

As the star plant of healing gardens, Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers. Impeccable in flower beds, they can also adorn the vegetable garden. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste qualities quickly assigned it the rank of an ornamental plant.