The Modern Flower Garden 4. Dahlias - With Chapters on Cultivation and Propagation

By Arthur J. Cobb

Volume IV in a series about the flower garden, this work deals with all aspects of growing dahlias. This is a fascinating work and is thoroughly recommended for the amateur gardener. This book contains classic material dating back to the 1900s and before. The content has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Jan 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447481881

Book preview

4. DAHLIAS

BY ARTHUR. J. COBB, F.I.LA.

CHAPTER I

History and Classification

The dahlia is a native of Mexico. Its early history has been told in so many old books on gardening, that it is scarcely necessary to do more than refer to it briefly in this work. The date of the introduction of the dahlia to this country was generally accepted as 1789; but in 1916 the late Mr. Harman Payne, as a result of careful research, elicited the fact that the flower was not introduced into this country until after 1796 and probably not until 1802 or 1803.¹

The name dahlia was given to the flower by the Abbé Cavanilles, who had charge of the Royal Gardens, Madrid, in honour of Andreas Dahl, an eminent Swedish botanist.

The Abbé Cavanilles had previously received plants from Vincent Cervantes of the Botanic Gardens, Mexico.

In his Icones, Cavanilles figured and described the new plant, of which three varieties had then flowered. These three dahlias were called Dahlia pinnata, D. rosea (synonym of D. variabilis), and D. coccinea. It is generally accepted that these were the parents of all the garden and show varieties, until the introduction of the cactus-flowered and more modern groups.

The dahlias described by Cavanilles were sent to Kew Gardens from Madrid, probably about 1798. They were single varieties, mostly consisting of eight flat radial florets. They were, however, soon lost and were reintroduced from Spain by Lady Holland,

The great ambition of the early growers was to get these single varieties to double. By infinite patience and time this was accomplished, the result being the types known as show and fancy, which are formal in the extreme, having fluted florets and being globular in form. Great credit must be given to the pioneers for their work in evolving from a single flower such handsome double blooms—truly a remarkable horticultural transformation. This was rendered possible by the fact that each floret of the dahlia consists of a separate individual flower, and the disc florets have been metamorphosed into rays.

Dahlias became immensely popular as exhibition flowers. Dahlia societies were formed and shows held all over the country, and for about 40 years, approximately from 1820 to 1860, the show and fancy dahlias had a run of unqualified success. These types are not now popular, being banned from practically every garden and grown by a few traders only. It must, however, be admitted that even if we object to their extremely formal shape, the colours are very beautiful. In 1829 an anemone-flowered variety was shown, but this never became very popular. A few varieties are still grown. The variety Monsieur Dupont has been included in the Dahlia Trials at the R.H.S. Gardens, Wisley, for many years.

Baldré (small formal decorative)