The real advantage to this dahlia was its attractiveness to butterflies. I often found 2 monarchs battling over the same blooms. This d...Read Moreahlia was covered in pollinators throughout the season. The blooms were so bright (especially in contrast to the dark foliage) that they appeared to glow in the garden. Absolutely the prettiest and most valuable dahlia in my garden.
I grew this variety for many years, digging and storing tubers in winter in my attached garage (around 50 degrees). Two years ago I lost...Read More the tubers in storage and I miss this plant. The dark stems and foliage are so elegant and make a lovely contrast in the border. I always started the tubers early, inside the house, in late March just to get a head start on blooming. The flowers are a gorgeous, bright red and help to make the fall gardens colorful. I deadheaded regularly to keep blossoms coming. Large bumblebees and orchard bees sleep in the wide open blossoms at night as though they are drunk on nectar. When I saved a seed head and grew out the seedlings, many different colors of Dahlias showed up. There were singles and doubles in yellow, red, wine, salmon, dark red. There were at least three styles of foliage, some dark, some green, some finely cut. Very interesting experiment. The 'Bishop of Llandaff' Dahlia comes highly recommended as a fine garden specimen according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
This is the cultivar that helped make dahlias fashionable again. The leave...Read Mores are smaller and less coarse than with most dahlias, and their purple/chocolate color is immensely useful in the border. The flowers are small (about 3" across), semi-double, glowing scarlet/warm red, and produced in profusion.
I find that where well grown this routinely reaches 6' or more in height. That too makes it more useful.
Dahlias can cause skin rashes and stomach upsets in cats and dogs, but they are non-toxic to humans, and the tubers were grown as a root vegetable in Central America before Columbus.
Planted tubers in zone 6 garden on June 3rd and first blooms appeared on June 18th! A glorious and striking burgundy (near black) folia...Read Morege. This is a peony type dahlia that is one of the parents of today's popular 'Bishop's Children' dahlias.
This cultivar is named for Bishop Hughes of Llandaff (now Cardiff), Wales, UK and was introduced in 1924. It won the prestigious Award of Merit from the RHS in 1928.
As with all dahlias it must be dug and stored in cool, dry place over winter in zones colder than 8.
The real advantage to this dahlia was its attractiveness to butterflies. I often found 2 monarchs battling over the same blooms. This d...Read More
I grew this variety for many years, digging and storing tubers in winter in my attached garage (around 50 degrees). Two years ago I lost...Read More
A dahlia for those who usually dislike dahlias.
This is the cultivar that helped make dahlias fashionable again. The leave...Read More
Lovely striking Dahlia with very dark foliage.
Grower: Treseder, Ian & S Treseder & Sons (Great Britain), 1928
Planted tubers in zone 6 garden on June 3rd and first blooms appeared on June 18th! A glorious and striking burgundy (near black) folia...Read More