Dahlia Franz Kafka

The Dahlia 'Franz Kafka' is a particularly floriferous variety of pompom dahlia. Its small, round flowers, a pinkish mauve colour and shaped like a honeycomb, shine with their abundance from summer to autumn. Not too tall, bushy and covered with flowers, this Dahlia is an excellent plant for borders, with colours and style that are easy to combine with many garden flowers. Its pompoms, neither pink nor mauve, washed with hints of purple and carried by dark purple stems, are also perfect for bouquets.

Dahlias belong to the large family of asteraceae and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the approximately 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our great pleasure, gardens all over the world. Dahlia varieties are classified according to the shape of their heads.

'Franz Kafka' is a Dahlia from the decorative group with pompom-shaped flowers, or miniature ball-shaped flowers. In this category, the heads have no visible center and are composed of numerous regularly arranged and completely rolled up petals (ligules), tubular and never flaring. It includes varieties that form true balls, such as pompoms (diameter less than 6 cm (2in)) and balls (diameter greater than 6 cm (2in)). The heads of this variety 'Franz Kafka' generally measure 5 cm (2in) in diameter. The ligules display a range of lavender pink, mauve and purplish tones with bluish highlights. The yellow heart of the inflorescence reveals itself late and forms a beautiful combination with the lilac tones. The plant reaches about 80 cm (32in) in height and 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) in width, depending on the growing conditions. It has an erect habit, and its stems sometimes require staking. Its dark green leaves are deeply denticulate. The flowering of this variety begins in July and ends in October-November, if faded flowers are removed or frequently used in bouquets. The colour of the floral stems is a very dark purple.

Today, Dahlias are essential in gardens, whether it be ornamental gardens or even vegetable gardens. They were initially cultivated in Mexico as a root vegetable. Their poor taste qualities quickly relegated them to the status of ornamental plants, but they are still welcome in vegetable gardens to bring a splash of color among the vegetables. 'Franz Kafka' is a truly charming flower that is easy to combine with many plants such as asters, perennial or shrubby salvias, old-style roses, purple grasses (Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum), blue Baptisia, catmints, penstemons, or tall Phlox. To stand out, plant this Dahlia with stunning 'thistles' like cardoon or artichoke, with opulent, cut and silver foliage, which are not often thought of in ornamental gardens. It can also be paired with purple foliage (Cotinus Royal Purple, Physocarpus 'Red Baron', Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace') or silver foliage (Artemisia Powis Castle, Senecio cineraria). Its cut flowers, trimmed very short and placed in a shallow bowl surrounded by grapevines and clusters of black grapes, will work wonders on a festive table in autumn.