Dahlia Dark Angels Pretty Woman

The Dahlia 'Pretty Woman', like all varieties of the 'Dark Angels' series, is a small plant, with dark foliage that enhances the small, but abundant and brightly coloured single flowers. The 'Dark Angels' are small, vigorous, and floriferous Dahlias, perfect for border ornamentation and potted plants. The coquettish flowers of 'Pretty Woman' are decidedly pink, with a vibrant pink to purplish base, and centered on a dark pink-brown heart. They form a beautiful combination with the deeply bronzed, purple-chocolate-coloured, deeply cut foliage. It blooms early in the season and its flowers continue until the first frost, delighting both the gardener and the bees.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico, and have inflorescences organized in capitula, which we commonly call 'flowers'. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded gardens all over the world, much to our delight. The Dark Angels Dahlias, developed in the Netherlands, bear names alluding to successful American films such as "Braveheart," "Taxi Driver," "American Pie," "Dracula," "Pulp Fiction," "Star Wars," and "Pretty Woman," the pinkest of the collection, registered in 2005.

The 'Pretty Woman' variety ('VDTG43') is a truly dwarf Dahlia, it will not exceed 25 cm (10in) in height when flowering. It is also classified among the so-called 'Mignon' decorative Dahlias, which is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the 8 colored ligules or 'petals' of the capitulum (what we generally call the flower) are arranged in simple corollas around a central disc. The flowers of 'Pretty Woman' are approximately 4 cm (2in) in diameter. The peripheral ligules are a bright pink, with a cyclamen pink base. The colour of the ligules fades to a paler pink over time. The initially very dark pink-brown heart of the flower is composed of tiny flowers that gradually open to a vibrant yellow. The flowering period is from June-July to October, or even November if the weather is mild. It has a bushy and compact habit, and does not require staking. The highly branched stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite and pinnately compound, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 highly toothed lobes. The leaves are initially purplish, turning to a deep bronze. The stems are also a very dark purple.

To promote continuous flowering, make sure to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colorful bouquets by combining it with other compact varieties. 'Pretty Woman' can be paired with all other Dark Angels varieties in containers and at the front of borders. Very colourful in both leaves and flowers, this Dahlia often stands alone. However, you can still offer it a setting of white and delicate flowers such as Diamond Frost Euphorbia, Nemesia, white snapdragons, or Aster prostratus Snow Flurry, for example. It will also be enhanced by the blue-purple blooms of catmints or perennial geraniums like Blue Cloud. Consider small ornamental grasses such as Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum, Stipa pennata and barbata, and Carex Comans bronze, which will bring a beautiful touch of lightness and elegance to the ensemble.

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