Dahlia Downham Royal

The Dahlia 'Downham Royal' is distinguished by the rare colour of its pompom-shaped flowers. They are a dark red-pink with hints of burgundy, a shade intensified by a more violet centre; a palette of great richness for a flower that catches the eye and holds it. This variety is also generous, with its buds succeeding each other from summer to frost, produced abundantly by a medium-sized plant. A simply sumptuous dahlia in borders or bouquets, which can be combined with pink and mauve flowers.

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, to our great pleasure, gardens all over the world.
The 'Downham Royal' variety will measure about 1m (3ft) in height and 60cm (24in) in diameter after 3 to 4 months of cultivation. It is classified as a pompom dahlia; this is a horticultural category defined by the shape of the flower. In this group, the heads are very compact, of modest size, but produced abundantly, and the tubular ligules form a perfectly spherical inflorescence that has a honeycomb-like structure. The flowers of 'Downham Royal' are 7cm (3in) in diameter. The ligules are a beautiful, indescribable pink-red, while those in the center of the inflorescence appear violet. The golden heart of the flower only appears late, just before fading. The flowering takes place from July to October-November. The habit is bushy and upright. The very branched, long and sturdy stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnately divided, meaning they are divided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are a medium green.

To encourage repeat flowering, take care to remove faded flowers, or better yet, regularly make large colourful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Downham Royal' produces beautiful flowers in bouquets, in the company of single or pompom varieties, white, pink or mauve. This variety goes particularly well with the pink flowers of English roses and the mauve colour of asters, and stands out beautifully against the silver foliage of cineraria maritima or shrubby wormwoods. In borders, this dahlia will create colourful spots in the company of echinaceas, for example, which bloom at the same time. This variety with its long, very flowery stems allows bouquets to be enjoyed until late in the season.

The star plant of borders and herb 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. But its poor taste qualities assigned it the status of an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.