It was a couple of weeks ago now on another of those balmy days that I spent some time wandering around the RHS' garden Hyde Hall in Essex. In the new vegetable garden I discovered a small patch of vibrantly colourful dahlias, which I may just have walked around (and around) to make sure I'd seen them all. But when they looked like this, who could blame me?
Dahlias are one of those flowers that have had a bit of a bad press, but looking at them closely they are exquisite. They have an almost 'mandala-like' quality to them, don't you think?
Having a patch of them about twice the size of a standard sized rug definitely maximised their impact, and goes to show you don't need a lot of space at all.
These ones with the 'curled' petals reminded me that my dad used to grow these in our first house (well the first house I lived in) and I remember we used to get into trouble if our balls got in with the dahlias. I've still no idea how that happened...
I imagine though the ones that dad grew would be pinker, like the one above, rather than any other colour. I don't know for sure, but it's likely to be an educated guess.
I've no idea why dahlias have been out of favour, but I'm glad they seem to be enjoying a reprieve. I used to have some of the burgundy Bishop of Llandaff, but somewhere along the way the tubers most likely rotted.
I'm thinking perhaps I should try again, but with something more colourful.
