Dahlias have been actively cultivated for several centuries and their popularity, somewhat declining in the 90s, is again increasing with unprecedented strength. And it is difficult to imagine that flowers so varied in shape, color and size would be forgotten. There are many classifications of dahlias: both by the size of the inflorescence, and by the height, and by the colors, but the most common is the classification by the shape of the inflorescence. According to this classification alone, about 16 groups of dahlias are distinguished, differing from each other in the shape and size of the inflorescences. Among them, the most famous are fringed, pompom, cactus, anemone, collar, decorative and many others.
Dahlia Martha, which will be discussed in this article, belongs, according to the above classification, to the semi-cactus group.
Semi-cactus dahlias
This group of dahlias is, as it were, a transitional from cactus dahlias to decorative... Their inflorescences also form large caps of superimposed layers, so that they can be called terry.
The middle of the inflorescence is more like the middle of the decorative group, when small and numerous tubular flowers are tightly pressed against each other and are almost invisible.
The surrounding reed flowers, commonly called petals, are oval in shape from the base to the middle. But from the middle to the ends, they are, like those of cactus dahlias, rolled into dense tubes that diverge in all directions from the center of the inflorescence.
A fairly large number of dahlias belong to this group.
The diameter of the inflorescence is different, from 10 cm to 20 cm and even more. The height of the bushes of plants of this group also varies greatly, from 50 cm to two meters.
Dahlia Martha - description
The Martha dahlia variety was obtained back in 1994 in the United States.
If you look at these flowers from afar, it seems as if the fiery red rays are burning against the background of bright yellow flashes. Taking a closer look, you can understand that the petals of the inflorescences themselves are two-colored - an orange-red hue prevails, which at the base of the petals turns into bright yellow. Moreover, this transition is not gradual, like in other colors, but is decorated with juicy oblong strokes. This creates such a unique effect. The petals taper towards the ends into tubes, like rays, and at the very tips they are painted whitish.
The average diameter of the flowers is about 22 cm, but the size of individual inflorescences can be up to 25 cm. Flowering can last from late July until frost.
The height of the bush itself is rather average, about 90-100 cm.
Care features
Since dahlias are native to the tropical countries of the South American continent, it is a very thermophilic plant. This must be taken into account both when planting it and when caring for it. It is desirable to choose the warmest and sunniest place. Be sure to protect it from strong winds with a house wall or high plantings.
Dahlias are not very picky about the soil, but they need a lot of nutrition for good growth and abundant flowering. Therefore, sandy soils must be well fertilized before planting dahlias. Loam will be ideal for creating a flower bed of dahlias.
For abundant flowering, the following conditions must be met when planting:
- Dahlia tuber must be started to germinate indoors from about mid-March. Otherwise, the dahlia, being a plant with a long growing season, will bloom very late, in August, or even in September.
- The grown dahlia is planted in a flower bed somewhere in early June in the middle lane, when all night frosts will be a thing of the past. By this time, there should already be several shoots on the tuber, 10 to 25 cm long.
- Before planting, a support is well hammered into the hole of the earth for a garter of future flowers.
- After planting a tuber with a clod of earth, it is well spilled with water.
- It is also advisable to thoroughly mulch the ground around the dahlia with straw or sawdust.
- The neck, when properly seated, should be buried a few centimeters below ground level. As the shoots grow, they are tied to a support.
The main thing in caring for a dahlia is regular watering and feeding. For the latter, it is better to use organic fertilizers.
Since the flower stalks of Martha's dahlia are quite long and strong, they can be used for cutting.
Dahlia Martha is a wonderful representative of this vast family of tuberous flowers and will give you many pleasant moments of admiring it during flowering.
