The Honka dahlia stands out even from its own group. Its light yellow flowers resemble starfish growing on long stems. The charming, yet modest and attractive Honka dahlia flowers harmoniously fit in various garden styles. Their subtle eight-petal, 10-centimetres-wide flower cups add an intriguing note to flower beds, pots, and bouquets. You can achieve wonderful results by planting this variety in large groupings that look like floral carpets. Combining this dahlia with a or colourful yarrows is a feast for the eyes. Such a mesh, delicate arrangement looks attractive until late summer. An equally tempting alternative would be planting Honka with other dahlias, e.g. with pompon flowers. This attraction-grabbing combo of various textures and colours gives a good insight into the decorative potential of dahlia.

Choosing the right spot makes growing dahlia easier. These plants need plenty of sunlight and a rich, nutritious soil. It should be permeable, fertile, with a reaction within the 6.5 to 7.0 pH range.

The cold-sensitive dahlias can only be planted outside in May after the last frost. You can also force them in pots or on a hotbed. We recommend watering the rootstock before planting by soaking it in water for 30 to 40 minutes. Plant them in a holes that have drainage layer of sand at the bottom, 25 to 30 centimetres apart, depending on the expected size and vigour of a given variety. Cover bulbs with a 3 to 5 centimetres thick layer of soil. Taking care of dahlias is not difficult. Carefully and properly planted bulbs would only need watering and fertilizing, while the grown plants require topping of wilted flowers. We recommend complex, multi-component fertilizers with a reduced nitrogen content. The latter stimulates foliage growth yet reduces flowering power.

Dahlia rootstock must be excavated and stored with a stem stub they have produced. Dug up and slightly dried tuberous roots should be stored in a cool room that is secured from frost. We recommend filling boxes in which you store dahlia rootstock with sawdust, peat, or dry sand. We also recommend checking on on them every now and then and remove rotten or fungus-infested specimens if needed.

One package contains 10 first choice rootstock of the Honka dahlia. Basic plant growing instructions can be found on the package.

• Variety: Honka
• Use: ornamental - garden, planters, cut flower
• Growth form: erect tufts
• Flower colour: light yellow
• Vegetation form: perennial
• Flower type: single
• Site: sunny; rich, nutritious, permeable soil with a reaction between 6.5 and 7.0 pH.
• Bulbs: 10
• Planting period: May
• Planting distance (cm): 25 to 30 cm
• Wintering in the ground: no