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Herbaceous Perennial

Dahlia 'Dave's Choice' (Ba)

dahlia 'Dave's Choice'

An upright, tuberous-rooted perennial to about 1m with mid-green, divided foliage. Neat, ball-shaped flowers about 8cm across, with inrolled, white petals flushed with pale purple, are produced from early summer to the first frosts

Synonyms

Dahlia 'Ryecroft Dave's Choice'

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

1–2 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Asteraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Dahlia are tuberous rooted perennials with pinnately divided leaves and showy flowerheads, double in many cultivars, in summer and autumn
Name status: Accepted
Horticultural Group: Ball dahlias have rounded, fully double flowerheads with partly incurved florets

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil, enriched with organic matter and general purpose fertiliser, in full sun. Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushy plants and stake. Water freely in dry periods. Cut down once damaged by frost. Tubers may survive outdoors in mild areas with a good covering of mulch. Otherwise lift and store tubers in autumn to replant, or use as a source of cuttings, in spring. See dahlia cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings taken in spring from shoots from stored tubers, or divide the tubers ensuring each division has a viable bud

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds
Bedding

Pruning

Deadhead to prolong flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, leaf miners, glasshouse red spider mite, capsid bug, caterpillars and slugs. Earwigs sometimes damage blooms

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews in dry conditions, grey moulds and other fungal rots in wet weather, a virus, and fungal rots in storage

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