Dazzled by dahlias

“In years of soaring temperatures, dahlias give a virtuoso performance, relishing the heat of summer”

There is an assumption that somehow the flowers in our gardens have always been here – a fixed part of our culture. In fact, our garden plants have been gathered from all over the world, over centuries. Dahlias have been with us for 500 years and are now a vital part of our gardening culture – but to get here, they’ve made a long journey.

In in Graham Greene’s 1969 novel, the narrator retired bank , manager Henry Pulling, grows dahlias. They are his indulgence, his secret excitement. In a monochrome life bereft of colour and spontaneity, they are his only connection with the thrilling – until his aunt comes along. But the dahlias he grew had travelled along