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BeddingHerbaceous Perennial

Dahlia 'Westerton Pearl' (Ba)

A bushy, clump-forming, tuberous, deciduous herbaceous perennial with green serrated leaves. Soft pink ball-shaped flowers appear from summer through until the first frosts

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Size
Ultimate height
1–1.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
1–2 years
Ultimate spread
0.5–1 metres
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green
Summer Pink Green
Autumn Pink Green
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Exposed
Hardiness
H3
Botanical details
Family
Asteraceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy, Clump forming, 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

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. Lift and store tubers in autumn to replant or use as a source of cuttings in spring. See dahlia cultivation for further advice

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
  • Bedding
  • 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

Pests

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

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

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