Dahlia Ivanetti

The Dahlia Ivanetti is a true performer in the garden as well as in bouquets. Its flowers in the shape of small alveolar pompoms are astonishing with their beautiful dark red colour, richly nuanced with purple-violet, a fantastic shade that does not fade in the sun. They succeed each other relentlessly, from summer to autumn, and are carried by strong and sturdy stems, particularly interesting for making bouquets. The plant, of medium size, has a bushy habit that is also suitable for ornamental perennial or bush borders.

Dahlias belong to the asteraceae family and are originally from the high plateaus of Mexico. Currently, the few 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by humans have invaded, to our greatest pleasure, gardens worldwide.
The 'Ivanetti' variety, obtained in 1999, will measure approximately 1m (3ft) in height and 60cm (24in) in diameter after 3 to 4 months of cultivation. It is classified as a pompom dahlia (or ball dahlia); it 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 an alveolar structure, like a beehive. The 'Ivanetti' flowers are 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter. The ligules are a very dark, nuanced, and velvety red. 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, pinnatisect, meaning that 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 even better, regularly make large colorful bouquets by combining it with other varieties. 'Ivanetti' produces magnificent flowers in bouquets, accompanied by single or pompon varieties, white, pink, or mauve. This variety blends particularly well with the blue flowers of perennial delphiniums, monkshoods, and asters, and stands out beautifully against the green or purple foliage of fennel. In borders, this dahlia will create warm and bright spots alongside Echinaceas, for example, which flower at the same time, as well as daylilies. This variety with its long and heavily blooming stems allows for bouquet arrangements 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. However, its poor taste qualities relegated it to the rank of ornamental plant. Since then, the interest in their beautiful exuberance has never waned.