Dahlia Porcelain

The camellia Dahlia 'Porcelain', as delicate as its name suggests, is a variety of dahlia with camellia-like flowers, beautiful flared flowers, white tinged with mauve-violet, lightly dotted with chartreuse in the centre. The plant is quite tall, with rather small, airy flowers, carried by tall sturdy stems. An ideal variety for creating bouquets and scenes full of poetry in the garden, until October-November.

Dahlias are part of the large family of asters, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the thousands of horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our great pleasure, gardens all over the world. Dahlia varieties are classified according to the shape of their heads. The 'Porcelain' Dahlia is a decorative dahlia with camellia-like flowers, whose heads are quite flat. They have rows of wide and flared outer ligules. The heads of this 'Porcelain' variety are 12cm (5in) in diameter. The petals are delicately white, slightly tinged with mauve-violet, revealing a centre infused with chartreuse yellow. The flowers last 7 to 12 days in a vase. The plant reaches a height of 1.20m (4ft) and a width of 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) in just one season. It has a bushy and erect habit, and its leaves are opposite and deeply denticulate. The leaves and stems are dark green. The long and abundant flowering of this variety, if faded flowers are removed, begins in July and ends in October-November.

The 'Porcelain' dahlia is highlighted, in the garden or in a large pot on the terrace, in a pastel atmosphere, emerging from a procession of delicate blue flowers, just as delicate as itself: perennial flax, asters, perennial geranium 'Blue Cloud', Anchusa azurea. The grey foliage of shrubby Artemisias will form a beautiful setting for the whole. It also pairs well with the airy heads of Buenos Aires verbena. You can also wake up this Dahlia with Echinaceas, Cosmos, or even salvias. Some Pennisetums, white Gladioli, or Panicum virgatum 'Dallas Blues' bring softness and delicacy to the decor. The same combinations are successful in homemade bouquets.

Today, an essential in gardens, Dahlias were initially cultivated in Mexico as a root vegetable. Their poor taste qualities quickly assigned them the status of an ornamental plant, but they are still welcome in the vegetable garden to bring a touch of colour among the vegetables.