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BeddingHerbaceous Perennial

Dahlia 'April Heather' (Col)
  • RHS AGM

dahlia 'April Heather'

A green-leaved cultivar to 1.25m tall producing flowers 10-15cm across from summer into autumn. Flowerheads comprise pale yellow outer florets flushed with pale pink and an inner collar of yellow florets fading to white at the tips surrounding a golden-yellow eye

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Size
Ultimate height
1–1.5 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 Gold Pink Yellow White Green
Autumn Gold Pink Yellow White 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
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
Collerette-flowered dahlias have a single outer row of flat ray florets, with an inner ring of shorter florets surrounding the central disk 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 (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
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Patio and container plants
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Bedding
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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