Dahlia Jennifer Mary Ellen
Dahlia Jennifer Mary Ellen
Dahlia Jennifer Mary Ellen
Ornamental Dahlia
Back-to-school special offer!
Get €10 off for every €50 you spend! And get up to €40 off on a single order.
How does it work?
1. Shop your favourites
Add your favourite plants to your basket. For every €50 you spend (excluding delivery charges, store credit and the plastic-free option), you’ll receive a €10 voucher.
€50 spent = €10 voucher
€100 spent = €20 voucher
€150 spent = €30 voucher
€200 spent = €40 voucher
2. Place your order
Once your basket reaches one of the spending thresholds, place your order. You can even choose your delivery date!
3. Receive your voucher
As soon as your order has been shipped, you’ll receive an email containing your personal voucher code and its value.
4. Use it on your next order
Your voucher is valid for 90 days from the date you receive it. It can be used once only, on a new order worth at least the value of the voucher, excluding delivery charges.
Please note: Vouchers can be combined with other offers, but cannot be split or refunded.
This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty
More information
We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Would this plant suit my garden?
Set up your Plantfit profile →
Description
The Dahlia 'Jennifer Mary Ellen' (from the Decorative group) produces not overly wide but well-double heads in shades of purple leaning towards plum, highlighted by dark foliage with bronze reflections. From July until the frosts, it enlivens flower beds, blooms in large borders and provides excellent cut flowers. It can also be grown in a large pot, in a fertile substrate with regular watering.
A herbaceous plant with a tuberous stump from the Asteraceae family, the garden dahlia originates from hybridizations between Mexican and Central American species. The cultivar 'Jennifer Mary Ellen' is classified in the Decorative group, characterised by wide and numerous ligules (or petals) that conceal the central disc.
The plant grows quickly in spring, forming an upright, ramified clump with hollow green stems, sometimes tinged with purple. The foliage is composed of pinnate leaves with ovate lanceolate, dentate leaflets, in a dark green tinted with bronze; it covers the base of the stems well. The inflorescences are double heads 8 to 10 cm in diameter, with rounded, slightly recurved ligules coloured purple to plum, with a very dark purple reverse. Flowering begins in July and only ends with the first frosts, if faded flowers are regularly removed. The height of this variety ranges from 80 to 120 cm, its spread from 50 to 70 cm.
The root system combines fasciculate roots and fleshy tubercles serving as reserves. It is sensitive to frost.
Now stars of the garden, Dahlias were initially cultivated in Mexico as a root vegetable. Today celebrated as an ornamental plant, they are still welcome in the vegetable garden to supply the cut flower reserve and add flair amongst the vegetables. 'Jennifer Mary Ellen' will look superb with pink ornamental grasses like Muhlenbergia capillaris, cluster-flowered bush roses (Bonica, Annelies, Minerva) and asters such as 'September Ruby'. One could also sow Cosmos 'Cantate' mix alongside it.
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Botanical data
Dahlia
Jennifer Mary Ellen
Asteraceae
Ornamental Dahlia
Cultivar or hybrid
Planting and care
The Dahlia 'Jennifer Mary Ellen' is easy to grow in all regions. For generous flowering, it is good to follow a few simple rules: plant the tubercles in a full sun position after the last frosts; rich, cool, and well-drained soils are perfect. However, stagnant moisture encourages the tubercles to rot. Do not hesitate to amend the soil with compost and sand if needed. Work the soil deeply and enrich it, for example, with ground horn or dried blood. Place your tubercle and crumble the soil well to backfill without air pockets. Your dahlia should be covered with about 6 cm of soil. At the end of planting, water thoroughly once and then repeat this watering regularly for the first 6 weeks to aid rooting. Stake the tall varieties that risk being laid flat by rain and wind.
Dahlias are sensitive to cold and need to be overwintered. In November, the first frosts blacken the foliage; this is the time to lift them. Dig up the tubercles carefully. Remove as much soil as possible. Allow the foliage to dry so the tubercles can replenish their reserves. Then cut the stems to 10 cm. Spread your bulbs in a crate on newspaper. Store them in a frost-free, dry, cool, and dark place, such as a frost-free garage or an attic. In southern regions, near the coast, experiencing only a few frosty days per year, it is possible to leave them in place. In this case, simply cover the soil with a carpet of leaves or straw as protection.
This tall Dahlia, with its hollow stems, does not withstand wind or heavy rain well. To overcome this drawback, you can stake it, but, you'll agree, it's not very aesthetic. On the other hand, by pinching the stems early or removing the axial flower buds, you will spread the habit of the plant, which will offer more resistance to bad weather. At the same time, you thus channel the influx of sap to a single flower, which will become larger and stronger.
Planting period
Intended location
Care
Planting & care advice
This item has not been reviewed yet - be the first to leave a review about it.
Recently viewed products
Haven't found what you were looking for?
Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:- In zones 9 to 10 (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), flowering will occur about 2 to 4 weeks earlier.
- In zones 6 to 7 (Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and lower mountainous regions), flowering will be delayed by 2 to 3 weeks.
- In zone 5 (Central Europe, Scandinavia), blooming will be delayed by 3 to 5 weeks.
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
- In Mediterranean zones (Marseille, Madrid, Milan, etc.), autumn and winter are the best planting periods.
- In continental zones (Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, etc.), delay planting by 2 to 3 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 2 to 4 weeks in autumn.
- In mountainous regions (the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, etc.), it is best to plant in late spring (May-June) or late summer (August-September).
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.