Dahlia Karma Amora

Dahlia 'Karma Amor' with its vibrant vermillion red camellia-like flowers is a versatile plant of medium size, equally at home in flowerbeds or in pots on the patio. The latest addition to the Karma series, originally developed for cut flowers, 'Amora' offers a long-lasting flowering period that looks great in a vase, thanks to its remarkably sturdy stems. 

Dahlias belong to the large family of Asteraceae, originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Nowadays, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties created by humans have spread to gardens all over the world, much to our delight. Dahlia varieties are classified based on the shape of their heads. 'Karma Amor' is a decorative Dahlia with camellia-like flowers. The inflorescences are composed of several rows of almost flat outer ligules, barely curling downwards. The heads are opulent and measure up to 14 cm (6in) in diameter. The ligules are a uniform light and vivid red with a hint of orange. The tightly packed centre of the flower is made up of slightly darker small petals. The plant can reach a height of 90 cm (35in) and a width of 50 cm (20in). It has a bushy and compact habit, and its sturdy stems do not require staking. The leaves are deeply lobed with denticulate edges. The particularly long flowering period of this variety begins in July and lasts until October-November, if faded flowers are removed or frequently made into bouquets.

Today, Dahlias are essential in gardens, but originally they were cultivated in Mexico as a root vegetable. Their poor taste quickly relegated them to ornamental plants, but they are still welcome in vegetable gardens to add some color among the vegetables. 'Karma Amor' pairs particularly well with white, orange, bright blue, or black flowers. The acidic green foliage of cosmos or lady's mantle, as well as the inflorescences of grasses, will bring lightness to its opulent red flowers.