The Garden Wonder dahlia belongs to the ornamental dahlias. It is a wonderful variety that produces blood-red flowers that are filled with velvety petals. It is a typical flower bed plant that would thrive in natural gardens. It can also be used as cut flower. It looks marvellous in company of other perennials and plants with ornamental leaves. It is perfectly suited for combinations with other bulbous perennials, such as canna lily or gladiolus. Its bright red colour can refresh the slightly boring flower beds of late summer. The addition of Garden Wonder dahlia will ensure that a strong accent will not be missed from your garden. It will cheer you up on even grey and gloomy days.

Huge flowers of the ornamental dahlias reach up to 15 centimetres in diameter and are carried by 70 to 100 centimetres tall stems. They are built in the typical way for this cultivar group - the tear-shaped petals roll inwards and go slightly up. The stems are covered with dark green leaves. A dahlia tuft is erect but broad. The whole plant can be described as a contrasting play of colours. The flowering period starts in July and lasts until October or the first frost.

Dahlia needs to be planted on a sunny site that is also sheltered from wind as plant's shoots are rather frail. Staking or use of other supports is an alternative solution to this problem. Keep plants 20 to 50 centimetres apart. The bulbous rootstocks must be planted about 5 centimetres deep from April to June.  Dahlia thrives in a sandy-clay, fertile, and permeable soil. They require watering during periods of drought. Do not forget to remove wilted flowers. Dahlia reacts well to fertilization with manure, compost, and mineral fertilizers.

Dahlia tuberous rootstocks cannot winter in the field and must be excavated after the first frost. Trim the stem first and then gently excavate the rootstock. Store the rootstocks in ventilated open boxes in a dry place where the temperature is stabilized between 2 and 4?C. Cover the roots with peat in order to ensure best possible storage conditions. If you detect loss of firmness or wrinkled surface on the rootstocks, you can moisten them slightly.

A single package contains 10 rootstocks of the Garden Wonder dahlia of premium quality. Basic plant growing instructions can be found on the package.

• Variety: Garden Wonder
• Use: ornamental - flower beds, cut flower
• Growth form: erect, bushy
• Flower colour: blood-red
• Vegetation form: perennial
• Foliage: dark green
• Site: sunny, sheltered; sandy-clay, fertile, and permeable soil
• Bulbs: 10
• Height: 70 to 100 cm
• Flowering period: July - October
• Planting period: April - June
• Planting depth (cm): 5
• Planting distance (cm): 20 to 50 cm
• Wintering in the ground: no