30 AmAteur GArDeNING 6 JULY 2019‘Gallery Art Deco’ AGm
Reaching just 16in (41cm) high, ‘Art Deco’ is excellent for containers and
windowboxes. In shades of pink, peach and apricot, the huge double flowers
will look great solo, but for added impact, partner up with hot pink ‘Art Nouveau’.3 container-friendly options
‘twyning’s Smartie’
A fun choice for a small garden or
patio pot – each magenta-and-white-
striped flower has an unpredictable
number of white petals. Plants will
flower from July to September and
attract bees. H: 2½ft (75cm).4 planting ideas
Fire and air
You can’t go wrong
with the classic
pairing of dahlias
and Verbena
bonariensis – airy
verbena flowers
help break up
the bolder dahlia
blooms. Choose any
dahlia; just ensure
you plant a minimum
of three of each
variety for impact.Box clever
For a neat and
tidy way to grow
dahlias, be inspired
by gardens at
stately homes and
edge beds of them
with low box
hedging or clipped
topiary balls. The
evergreen box acts
as a crisp foil for
a riotous display
of colourful dahlias.Hot favourite
If you have the
space and really
want to impress,
take a leaf out of
the great plantsman
Christopher Lloyd’s
book and dial up
the drama by
teaming crimson
dahlias with
towering cannas,
Melianthus major
and spiky yuccas.Cutting crew
With a generous
vase life, dahlias
make great cut
flowers, so opt for
planting partners
that will work well
in arrangements
and borders. Boldly
coloured cosmos,
zinnias, chrysanths
and perennial
sunflowers are all
strong contenders.GAP.
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