Foliage Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'

The striking red flowers of Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ bloom freely against stunning burgundy foliage. This is a vigorous, heritage variety dating back to the 1920's. It has been tried, tested and loved by gardeners around the world. Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' is even in the RHS top 200 plants of all time.

The semi double, vermillion red flowers open from late summer, deep into autumn. The burgundy foliage adds depth and a little something special to the garden.

Dahlias are brilliant garden plants. They are long flowering, with lush foliage, come in a huge array of colours shapes and sizes and are easy to care for.

Dahlias take around eight weeks from planting to flowering and can be grown in gardens or pots.

Plant Dahlias into moist, humus rich, well drained soil in a sunny spot, they need at least six hours to flower well and morning sun is preferred as the hot afternoon sun can burn the foliage. We recommend digging a well rotted cow/sheep manure though the soil prior to planting. Plant the tuber around 5-10cm deep, and it is a good idea to stake tall/large flowered varieties at the time of planting to avoid root disturbance later on. Allow for good air flow between the plants. You don’t need to water your Dahlias in, just keep them moist once they start to grow. Add a slow release tomato fertiliser in early summer and some Sulphate of Potash, then mulch for best results.

Dahlia flowers are excellent for cutting, and last well in a vase, and by cutting the flowers you will encourage more blooms. When you cut the flowers, it is a good idea to do it in the morning as they have higher moisture content and so will last longer. Cut the stems so you are taking at least two leaves, this prunes the plant back far enough to encourage more flowers and bushy growth. Any spent flowers left on the plant should be removed as they brown, in a similar method to encourage more blooms. Do this weekly to fortnightly and you will really reap the benefits in a longer bloom time.

Dahlia tubers can perennialise (stay in the ground) if the soil is well drained and you don’t live in areas where the soil will freeze or get overly moist in their dormancy.

Dahlias were discovered in Mexico in the 1700’s. They were named after the Swedish botanist, Anders Dahl.