Dahlia Café au Lait Royal

Dahlia 'Café au Lait Royal' brings pretty shades of pink to the lovely collection of 'Café au Lait' giant dahlias. Its double flowers are impressive, measuring 22cm (9in) wide. It blooms from summer to autumn, on stems that can reach 1.2m (4ft) in height. It will look wonderful with delicate flowers, grasses, or foliage plants. Its spectacular flowers also make stunning bouquets.

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. They are tender perennials with fleshy tubers.

'Café au Lait Royal' is considered a "giant" dahlia because its flowers reach 22cm (9in) in diameter, its stem reaches up to 1.2m (4ft) high, and it has a width of 60cm (24in). It is also classified as a decorative dahlia, which is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are arranged regularly in a spiral. They can be curved towards the stem or fringed, for example. The flowering of this variety begins in July and ends in October. The flowers measure 22 to 23cm (9in) in diameter. The outermost ligules are quite large and slightly turbinate, and those in the centre are more curled. Their pastel pink colour bears deeper pink notes, especially in the centre of the inflorescence. It has a bushy and erect habit, and the branched stems are hollow. Its leaves are opposite and pinnately compound, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 dentate lobes. The leaves and stems are a fairly bright green.

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

'Café au Lait Royal' pairs particularly well with white, mauve, and blue flowers, especially those of roses. In borders, it will perfectly match echinaceas, white lilies, chamomiles, dwarf daisies, cornflowers, and cosmos, for example. It will also work well with sedums and miscanthus.

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.