One of my favorite parts of summer is when our beautiful Dahlias start showing their colourful blooms around the garden. This tuberous perennial is extremely popular amongst flower enthusiasts and are often grown just for judged shows. The Dahlia is native to Latin regions such as Mexico and Central America and was used by the Aztecs for food and even for decorative purposes.
Now I don’t use my Dahlias for bragging rights at a flower show, nor do I use them in some primitive ceremonial ritual. To me they are there for sheer eye candy inside and outside of my home. I marvel at the vibrant range of colours they produce and will often traipse into the garden with my snips in hand so I can capture their exotic colouring to display on my nightstand or in my bathroom. These little punches of colour awaken my senses on the most tiresome of days. It is amazing what a little floral therapy can do for the soul.
Dahlias come in a variety of “types”. We have some beautiful Art Deco and Adelaide Fontane varieties on our garden this year. Each kind of Dahlia has a unique shape of bloom such as a round Aurora’s Kiss or a flame-like Akita. Because these flowers come in so many different shapes and colours they are very popular amongst seasoned and newbie gardeners. They are quite easy to grow, just be sure to plant in mid-April to May (about the same time you would plant your vegetable garden) and plant them in an area where they will recieve 8 hours of sun a day. We planted ours in a large planter in the front yard under a huge bay window that gets most of the day’s sun. Our Dahlias are watered once a day and are inspected for pests such as slugs quite frequently.
These showy flowers are in season and available at RCFM right now. Why not grab a couple stems while buying your staple items at the market? These darling Dahlias are perfect for adding fresh colour to your home.
