Dahlias are the backbone of any garden, flowering from July until the first frost in November. Boasting sumptuous textures, impressive scale, and unrivalled scent, they are perfect for making any outdoor space come alive with colour.
From luscious red and purple dahlias to creamy pastel pinks and oranges, there’s something to suit the tastes of every dahlia grower. Dahlias are some of the lowest maintenance and highest production cut flowers and garden plants you can grow.
Over 5,000 dahlias are currently exhibited at Stonehenge, commemorating events from nearly 180 years ago. These dahlias are showcased in a three-day exhibition at the visitor centre, following the format of a classic flower show. The floral arrangements were crafted by Wiltshire clubs, using dahlias cultivated by local members of the National Dahlia Society.
At Sarah’s Perch Hill Garden in East Sussex, the team breed and grow hundreds of dahlias. Each dahlia tuber can produce bountiful flowers, resulting in a succession of colour for weeks on end. These beautiful flowers come in many sizes, colours, and shapes.
Sarah Raven says, “Despite originating in Mexico, dahlias have a great history in Britain, and there is no better place to celebrate this than at Stonehenge in Wiltshire this weekend. I really am delighted to see the return of this historic show and the celebrate of one of the most beautiful and best-loved flower varieties.
“The colours on display this year are some of my absolute favourites and are the tones and hues I often lean towards when choosing varieties for our breeding trials. What I particularly love about dahlias are the incredible varieties of colours, size, and form. There really is a dahlia for everyone, and so I am excited to see visitors and gardeners of all abilities inspired by the displays at Stonehenge.”
To celebrate the return of the Stonehenge Dalia Show after 180 years, Sarah Raven has collated her favourite varieties to help gardeners get the look at home, including two exclusive varieties inspired by Sarah’s family and her Perch Hill home.
Exclusive to Sarah Raven, Dahlia ‘Perch Hill’ is the colour of a negroni, and completely unique in a subtle smoky crimson-pink-orange.
Another exclusive variety available only at Sarah Raven, this dahlia is named after Sarah’s youngest daughter, Molly. “This dahlia reminds me of the classiest Venetian marbled paper.” Sarah says. “This pretty flower has rich stripes and stipples over a soft coffee to pink petal base, plus beautiful foliage and stems which contrast perfectly to the flowers.”
“A smoky café-au-lait pink, this dahlia is truly beautiful paired with white and terracotta tones. Accompanied by the Dahlia ‘Jowey Winnie’, these two flowers make the perfect pair.”
Support with a stout stick, tie in every couple of weeks. In the south you can mulch deeply and overwinter them in the ground, alternatively, lift and overwinter your dahlias frost free undercover.
One step deeper in colour than Dahlia ‘Linda’s Baby’ and magnificent to grow and arrange with it. A sophisticated, smoky terracotta pink. In the south you can mulch deeply and overwinter them in the ground, alternatively, lift and overwinter your dahlias frost free undercover.
A classic border dahlia with beautiful, glossy, rich chocolate-coloured leaves, contrasting to orange and ochre flowers. Sarah says, “This dahlia is covered in more flowers, for longer, than almost any other dahlia we’ve ever trialled.”
Support with a stout stick, tie in every couple of weeks. In the south you can mulch deeply and overwinter them in the ground, alternatively, lift and overwinter your dahlias frost free undercover.
Dahlia ‘Orange Girl’ | Orange Waterlily Group Dahlia
Bright yet delicate at the same time, with petite flowers, and lots of them in a soft and mellow coral. Pot up undercover in spring, place somewhere light and frost-free and keep moist. Pinch out growing tips at 20cm and plant out after last frosts. Alternatively plant straight into the ground when the frosts are nearly over.
To order your dahlia varieties, visit: www.sarahraven.com/dahlias