Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
THE ULTIMATE SHAPE-SHIFTERS
Dahlias don’t just play with block colour. Some of them are bicoloured, some are variegated with dots, splashes or streaks, and then there’s the variety in their flowers, florets and more. Here’s a selection...
1 Pompones (or pompom or pompon) are fully double flowers with furled petals arranged in a spiral to form a globe shape. Blooms are up to 4cm across and plants will grow to 30cm in height.
2 Orchids have a single row of uniform ray florets that surround a tight disk centre. Blooms are 10cm across and plants grow to 1m tall.
3 Balls are like pompones, but their blooms are about 7cm across and grow about 75cm tall.
4 Anemones have at least one row of flat ray petals, which surround an often contrasting pincushion centre of long tubular florets. Blooms are 15cm across and plants grow to about 1m tall.
5 Cacti have a spiky look with long, pointed ray florets radiating from an open centre. Blooms are 15-20cm across and plants grow up to 1m tall.
6 Decoratives are double petalled and open centred. Formal decoratives have
symmetrical flowerheads while informals have wavy petals in an irregular arrangement. Blooms are 15cm wide and plants grow more than 1m tall.
7 Tree dahlias have shaggy flowers that look like ballerinas’ tutus. Mostly lavender in colour, new varieties are available in pink and white. They flower from autumn into winter and are best grown against a wall or fence since the wind can damage the brittle stems. Flowers can bloom 15cm wide and the tree can grow to 6m.
8 Singles have a single row of regular, overlapping ray florets in a flat plane. These surround a centre disk that opens to reveal frilly anthers, ideal for attracting pollinators. Blooms are 5cm across and plants grow from 70-95cm tall.
9 Collarettes have an outer row of ray florets, an inner collar of shorter petals and a fringed or tight centre disk. Colours may be solid or bicolour. Blooms are 5-10cm wide and plants grow up to 1m tall.