Dahlia Impression Famoso

Like all plants in the Impression series, the Dahlia' Impression Famoso' Collarette offers very compact and highly floriferous dahlias. In a harmony of soft shades, they display a crown of flat, light pink petals surrounding a collarette of small white-cream petals around a yellow centre. The delicate flowers of 'Famoso' are not very large but are produced abundantly by weather-resistant plants. This variety looks stunning planted in pots for terrace or balcony decoration.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are initially from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our greatest pleasure, gardens worldwide.

The 'Impression Famoso Collarette' variety is a dwarf dahlia, as it will not exceed 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) in all directions. It is also classified as a collarette dahlia, a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a crown around a collar of tiny petals surrounding the central disk. The flowers of 'Impression Famoso' somewhat resemble those of Japanese anemones. They show outer ligules of a fresh pink, slightly purple, more or less touched with white, and those at the centre are cream-coloured. The golden and bulging centre of the flower makes it even more luminous. The flowering takes place from July to October. The habit is bushy and compact, requiring no staking. The highly branched stems are hollow, and the exceptionally deeply cut leaves are opposite and pinnately divided, dividing them into 3 or 5 highly toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are dark green. 

To promote reblooming, remove faded flowers or regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining them with other varieties. 'Impression Famoso' pairs particularly well with purple or white flowers, the silver foliage of cinerarias maritimas, or the airy mass of fennels that won't overshadow its flowering. In the front of borders or as an edging, this dahlia will form colourful spots in the company of echinaceas or California poppies, for example, which bloom simultaneously as asters. The plant looks superb in pots and is accessible for all gardeners to grow.
 

As a star plant for borders and herb gardens, dahlias confidently accompany the most beautiful flowers but are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. This tuberous plant was initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption in Mexico. But its poor taste qualities assigned it to the rank of ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.