Every year, members of the Dahlia Society of South Australia Inc. and our horticultural staff, come together to prepare and maintain our dahlia display, which flowers in late summer.
The parents of these much-loved perennial herbs came from Central and South America. Dahlias were an important food and medicinal crop to the Aztec people, while these ingenious people also used the sturdy, hollow, 10-metre long stems of Dahlia imperialis as pipes, supplying villages with water from mountain streams.
Today dahlias are grown for their decorative flowers. Over the past three centuries hybridisation (combining different varieties) has given rise to a range of fascinating flower types.
As a general rule of thumb, the first week of November is a good time to plant dahlias. Choose a spot that has morning sun and afternoon shade. Contact the Dahlia Society of South Australia or visit its website for more growing information.
