Dahlia Sefton Silvertop

Dahlia 'Sefton Silvertop' is a variety of decorative dahlia with particularly vigorous small flowers, which produces a quantity of modestly sized but beautifully formed flowers, and with a lovely lilac pink colour. They are very double and very full, globular, resembling pompons, as if painted lilac pink on a white background. It flowers for a long time, with its buds succeeding each other from summer to autumn, above a densely leafy bush.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 20,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, much to our delight, gardens all over the world.
The variety 'Sefton Silvertop' was registered in 2018. This variety forms in a few months a clump of leafy stems reaching 1.40 m (5ft) in height and 70 cm (28in) in width. It is classified as a miniature decorative dahlia, which is a horticultural category defined by the shape and size of the flower. In this group, the coloured ligules of the head are regularly arranged in a spiral, they can be curved towards the stem, alveolate or fringed, for example. 'Sefton Silvertop' flowers are approximately 10 cm (4in) in diameter. The outermost ligules are a tender pink, margined with mauve pink, and those in the centre are cream-coloured bordered with lilac pink. The golden heart of the flower only appears late, just before withering. The flowering is renewed from July to October. The habit is bushy and compact, not requiring staking. The very branchy stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnately divided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are dark green with a bluish tint.

To promote flowering again, be sure to remove faded flowers, or better yet, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Sefton Silvertop' pairs particularly well with pink, mauve, or white flowers. In the back of borders or placed among bushes, this Dahlia will create colourful spots. To accompany it, choose, for example, foxgloves, tall bellflowers, or asters.

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