Dahlia Happy Single Date

Dahlia 'Happy Single Party' produces waves of flowers in warm colours throughout summer. Its deep orange flowers with dark chocolate eyes are beautifully highlighted by a red-orange halo. The flowers contrast beautifully with its bronze-purple foliage. The plant is compact, dense, and well-branched, making it ideal for pots or containers on balconies and patios, or in borders. Plant it in a sunny location with well-drained soil.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. There are currently thousands of horticultural varieties that have conquered gardens worldwide. 

'Happy Single Party' is a recent dwarf variety with single flowers. The plant will not exceed 70cm (28in) in height and 50cm (20in) in width. It has a bushy, branched, and compact habit that requires no staking. It flowers from July to November. The flower heads measure 10cm (4in) in diameter and resemble simple corollas composed of a row of deep orange ligules arranged in a collar, shaded towards the centre with a bright red-orange halo around a dark chocolate floret heart. The branched stems are hollow, and the leaves are opposite and divided into 3 or 5 finely toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are bronze with purple highlights. 

Remove faded flowers to encourage new blooms. You can use cut flowers to make colourful bouquets, combining them with other varieties.

Happy Singles are adorable dwarf landscape dahlias with dynamic colours. 'Date' pairs particularly well with yarrow in fiery colours, kniphofias, and crocosmias. It will create colourful spots at the front of borders along with echinaceas, heleniums, and red cactus dahlias. It contrasts beautifully with perennials with blue-purple blooms and lighter silhouettes of some verbenas, perovskias, or sages. Also, consider pairing it with Pennisetum villosum, a lovely feathery grass that will bring softness and delicacy to the setting. This variety is particularly suitable for container gardening.

Dahlias are stars of borders and ornamental gardens, confidently accompanying the most beautiful flowers. However, they are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste qualities quickly saw it categorised as an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.