Dahlia Offshore Dream

The Dahlia 'Offshore Dream' has camellia-like flowers that will reach a height of 70 cm (28in) and a width of 60 cm (24in). Its highly branched stems are hollow. Its leaves are opposite and pinnatisect, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 leaflets, which have highly denticulate lobes. The stems and leaves are medium green. The plant has a bushy habit and, as a large variety, it is important to enhance its width to strengthen its stature. Dahlia flowers have flat, wide, straight, and rounded ligules. The heart of the flower is in the form of a closed calyx. The flowers of the 'Offshore Dream' variety measure 15 cm (6in) in diameter or more and are full and double. The ligules are generally straight and slightly concave. Their base gradually turns from incarnadine pink to a delicate porcelain pink at the tip. The shorter central florets form a white and chartreuse green calyx before reaching maturity.

Dahlia flowering is exceptionally long. Our variety blooms from August to October. To encourage repeat flowering and extend the flowering period, take care to remove faded flowers. Better yet, regularly cut them to create attractive colorful bouquets by combining various varieties.

Dahlias are easy to grow and, for a more generous flowering, it is good to follow a few simple rules: they need a lot of sunlight. Plant the tubers in a sunny location after the last frost. Rich, fresh, and well-drained soil is welcome. Excessive moisture can cause the tubers to rot. Feel free to amend the soil with compost and sand if necessary.

Dahlias are very melliferous, which is valuable for bees as nectar sources become scarce in autumn. In the middle of a flower bed, these Dahlias will create colourful spots with large rudbeckias, heleniums, cosmos, or even sedum accompanied by Pennisetum villosum to bring softness and delicacy to the landscape.

With its many faces, the Dahlia, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico, now has around 20,000 varieties. This tuberous plant was initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. However, its poor taste gave way to its exuberant flowering. Since then, the interest in this highly floriferous Asteraceae has never waned.