Dahlia Seniors Art

Dahlia 'Senior's Art' is a brand new variety of very unusual decorative Dahlia, still little known in the trade. Its round and very double lilac flowers bloom throughout the summer from darker and more purplish buds on a very beautiful backdrop of dark leaves. They are not very large, but together with the purplish buds and the foliage tinted with almost black purple, they form a harmony of colours that is quite extraordinary and can be appreciated in large flower or shrub beds. Create beautiful bouquets by mixing its flowers with old roses, for example.

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. At present, the some 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded gardens all over the world, much to our delight.

The 'Senior's Art' variety is 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, and they can be bent towards the stem or curled, for example. This variety will reach approximately 80 cm (32in) in height and 60 cm (24in) in width in one season. The heads (what we call flowers) of 'Senior's Art' are  6 to 8 cm in diameter. The outermost ligules (what we generally call petals) are oval in shape, almost flat. As we approach the heart of the flower, the ligules are slightly tubular. Their colour is a tender mauve-lilac, more or less striated with darker shades. The ligules in the centre of the head are smaller, with a slight border of deep purple. The golden centre of the flower only appears very late, just before it withers. The flowering period is from July to October. The plant has a bushy habit. The very branched stems are hollow, and the leaves are opposite, pinnately lobed, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The stems are almost black-purple in colour, and the leaves display different shades of purple, green, and dark bronze.

To promote flower reblooming, take care to remove faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colorful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Senior's Art' pairs particularly well with pink, purple, white, or even blue flowers. In flower beds, it will create very colorful spots in the company of Echinaceas, 'Primley Blue' wood mallow, perennial geraniums 'Blue Cloud' or 'Rozanne', or Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum', which all bloom at the same time. Asters and shrubby salvias, with their delicate flowers, are also perfect companions for Dahlias.

The star plant of cottage gardens, Dahlias are undoubtedly beautiful flowers. They are perfect in flower beds, but can also enhance vegetable gardens. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was initially cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its poor taste quickly relegated it to the status of an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.