Dahlia Clearview Edie

Dahlia 'Clearview Edie' is an impressive semi-cactus variety with large flowers and vigorous growth. Its enormous white spiky flowers have relief and depth, which is even more pronounced when a lavender-pink hue is revealed in semi-shade. They bloom from summer until the first frost, on a very large plant. Its cut flowers can be used to create sumptuous floral compositions with small cabbage roses, statice, purple foliage, and Eucalyptus branches.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. There are currently thousands of horticultural varieties that have conquered gardens worldwide. They are tender perennials with fleshy tubers.

'Clearview Edie' was registered in the United States in 2014. The plant forms a clump that can reach 1.5m (5ft) in height and about 60cm (24in) in width, under good conditions. This variety is classified among cactus dahlias, or more precisely semi-cactus dahlias, a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head only partially curl, at least one-third of their length. This dahlia has tightly curled ligules at their tips, which are more flattened at the base. Flowering begins in July and ends in October-November. The heads measure between 20 and 26cm (8 and 10in) in diameter. We recommend limiting the number of buds on each stem to encourage larger blooms. The ligules are white with a light lavender-pink wash, and the centre of the flower is lightly warmed with cream. The habit is bushy and upright, and the branched stems are hollow. Its leaves are opposite and compound, meaning they divide into 3 or 5 toothed lobes. The leaves are a medium green, just like the stems.

Remove faded flowers to encourage new blooms. You can use cut flowers to make colourful bouquets, combining them with other varieties.

Dahlia 'Clearview Edie' is a stunning cut flower. Use the cut blooms to create wedding bouquets with white lilies and arums. In the garden, it blends in well with perennial borders and supports small bushes. It pairs particularly well with pink, mauve, and white blooms, especially those of roses and tall delphiniums. In flower beds, it will harmonise perfectly with large "thistles" (cardoon and artichoke), Japanese anemones, fennel, and miscanthus.

Dahlias are stars of borders and ornamental gardens, confidently accompanying the most beautiful flowers. However, they are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste qualities quickly saw it categorised as an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.