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BeddingHerbaceous Perennial

Dahlia 'Starry Eyes - Red' (Sin)
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

dahlia 'Starry Eyes - Red'

A compact tuberous-rooting perennial, with green foliage, that bears flowers in summer and early autumn. The red petals, held around a central yellow disc, are incurved at the edges displaying a lighter colour

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Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
1–2 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring
Summer Red Yellow Green
Autumn Red Yellow Green
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or East–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H3
Botanical details
Family
Asteraceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Columnar upright
Genus

Dahlia are tuberous rooted perennials with pinnately divided leaves and showy flowerheads, double in many cultivars, in summer and autumn

Name status

Unresolved

Horticultural Group
Single-flowered dahlias have flowerheads usually less than 10cm across, with one or two rows of spreading ray florets, surrounding a central boss of small tubular disc florets which are valuable for bees and butterflies

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 (see staking perennials). Water freely in dry periods. 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
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

Deadhead to prolong flowering. Cut back to near ground level in the autumn, before lifting and storing for the winter or mulching in milder locations

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, capsid bug, earwigs, caterpillars and glasshouse red spider mite

Diseases

May be affected by a virus, tubers may rot in store

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