Dahlias - Display Planting in Dublin

A few years ago I enjoyed and reviewed on this blog the Dahlia show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I really enjoyed the diversity which was shown there. Dalia's were always a flower that my mother loved to grow - but my father didn't like the digging up and replanting which is required for these tuberous-rooted tender perennials when growing in cold climate gardens. 

National Botanic Garden - Dublin, Sept 2015

None-the-less, these bright and colorful flowers bloom from midsummer to first frost, long after many other plants are fading away. The range in color and size is so large - flower shows or clustered plantings of Dahlias can really highlight the spectrum from giant 10-inch blooms to smaller pompons. As many varieties grow 4 to 5 feet tall, these plants can take a commanding place, a statement piece, in many gardens. 

On a recent tour of the National Botanic Garden outside Dublin, I was so pleased to see a large section of their Annual Bed dedicated to Dahlias. The outer beds were all daisies, the middle beds were mums and dahlias respectively . It was so nice to be able to not only see the blooms but also understand the slight differences in height, leaves, and structure of the plants.

I've captured shots of my favorite dahlias. I hope you enjoy too! Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.


I tend to like the flowers like the one on the right below - with the rounded petals and such fullness of a powder puff. 

The very subtle color variation - multi-color pops in the dahlia to the right below were unexpected.

These two below had similar coloring overall - but clearly different impacts. I really liked that pollinators were going crazy for these dahlias too! Not the bee stopping to take a drink :0

These next four are so spiky! Love the multi-color pops on the tips.

There was also a plethora of roses in this Botanic Garden - equally beautiful which I've captured on this blog post.

Have  a great day;

Teresa Marie