Dahlia Nonette

The Dahlia 'Nonette' is a variety of large camellia-like flowers. This cultivar stands out for the random colouring of its flowers; they are either yellow, apricot, or salmon pink but are always dotted with carmine. This little touch of originality brings some unexpectedness to a slightly too formal flower bed.

A plant with a thousand faces, dahlias originally from the Mexican high plateaus now represent some 20,000 horticultural varieties. This tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable. But its poor taste qualities gave way to its exuberant flowering. Since then, interest in this very floriferous Asteraceae has never waned.
The Dahlia 'Nonette' is a dahlia with camellia-like flowers that will reach 110 cm (43in) in height and 50 in width. The very branched stems are hollow. The leaves are opposite; they are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which form very denticulate lobes. The stems and leaves are almost black bronze, which contributes to the decorative aspect of this variety. The plant has a bushy habit. As it is a tall variety, care must be taken to broaden its width to strengthen it. Camellia-like decorative dahlias have flat, wide, straight ligules, rounded at their tips. The heart of the flower has the shape of a tightly closed calyx. The heads of the 'Nonette' variety measure 15 cm (6in) in diameter or more, fully double. The ligules are generally straight and slightly concave. The colour varies: from one plant to another, the flowers are yellow, apricot or salmon, more or less densely dotted with dark carmine. The shorter central florets form a lighter calyx than the peripheral florets, which have matured.

The flowering of dahlias is exceptionally long. That of our variety begins in July and ends in November. To promote repeat flowering and extend this flowering period, remove faded flowers. Even better, regularly cut them to create attractive, colourful bouquets. For added texture, combine tall dahlias with diamond grass foliage in the background of a flower bed. Incorporate your dahlias into your annual flower beds or possibly as a complement to perennials that are much more discreet in summer. 'Nonette', with its changing colours, can produce unexpected blends with more or less pinkish reds or with not-too-bright yellows and light pinks for a very soft assortment.