Dahlia 'Dark Desire' (Sin/DwB) | dahlia 'Dark Desire'

RHS

Synonyms

Dahlia 'Dark Secret'

Herbaceous Perennial

A dwarf bedding dahlia that grows to 75cm high, with green leaves, crimson stems, and single very dark crimson flowers, 8cm across, with golden centres, from summer to autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing or East–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): H3

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

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

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: 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

Plant tubers 10-15cm deep in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil, in full sun; cut back to near ground level in mid-autumn, then in mild areas and on well-drained soils leave the tubers in the ground and protect with a deep organic mulch, while in colder areas or on heavy soils lift and store the tubers and replant in late spring after all danger of frost has passed; for more advice, see dahlia cultivation and our video How to plant dahlia tubers and care tips

Propagation

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

Suggested planting locations and garden types

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

Pruning

Deadhead to prolong flowering

Pests

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

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews, dahlia mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus, tomato spotted wilt virus, storage rots, leafy gall, crown gall, dahlia smut, grey moulds, fungal leaf spot, Phytophthora, Sclerotinia, Verticillium wilts, and virus diseases