History of the dahlia
First discovered by Aztec Indians and used for food and medicine, this tuber has an interesting history of cultivation.
1 x 3 litre pot 190429-3L | £10.50 |
Delivery late May
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When in stock, please allow up to 4-6 weeks for despatch.
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Or buy this as part of our Venetian Dahlia Collection and Party Dahlia Collection.
A neat, small-flowered dahlia the perfect size for hand-tied bunches and mixed arrangements. It's a lovely rich Cardinal purple. I've now grown 'Downham Royal' for years and love it for picking.
Our dahlias:
Genus | Dahlia |
Group/Species |
Ball Group Larger than pompoms and have a spiral arrangement of incurved petals forming a ball-shaped flower. Click here for more information about dahlia groups. |
Variety | Downham Royal |
Type | Tender Perennial |
Common Name | Dahlia |
Border Position | Cutting Garden |
Soil Type | Broad Tolerance |
Scent | Unscented |
Site | Full Sun |
Moisture | Moist but Well-drained |
Height | 1.2m (4ft) |
Spacing | 75cm (30in) |
Sowing, Seeds, Planting | Plant just under the soil surface after the last frosts. Alternativley pot them up undercover March or early April in a generous pot (at least 2 litre) filled with multi-purpose potting compost. Place them in a light, frost-free place and keep the compost moist. Pinch out their growing tips when they have reached about 8" tall. They will have formed bushy plants by the time the frosts have ended and will be in flower by the beginning of July. If you don’t have anywhere to grow the potted tubers, you can put them straight into the ground when the frosts are nearly over, mulching them or protecting with a cloche or protective horticultural fleece if the foliage appears before the frosts are over, but this will delay flowering. |
Care Tips | Support with a stout stick, tie in every couple of weeks. In the south you can mulch deeply and overwinter them in the ground, alternatively, lift and overwinter your dahlias frost free undercover. |
Flowering | July - November |
Vase Life | Only pick dahlias in full flower. Recut the hollow stem ends under water to avoid airlocks. |
Cooking Notes | All dahlia flowers are edible. I use the petals scattered over salad and to decorate a range of puddings. |
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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First discovered by Aztec Indians and used for food and medicine, this tuber has an interesting history of cultivation.
A list of the different dahlia groups, along with some classification info and an example of a variety in each group.
Discover how to grow strong, healthy dahlias – how to plant, look after and overwinter them, and what to do with your bulbs when they arrive.
Sarah discusses the best options for overwintering dahlias – lifting or mulching.
Sarah shows you how to make a gorgeous large arrangement of dahlias.
Have a beautiful display of flowers in your garden from March to the first frosts with this simple planting technique.
Sarah shows you how to make a quick arrangement of colourful dahlias.
Sarah shows you her favourite dahlia varieties for pots, and gives you some tips on how to grow them successfully.
Watch and learn how to take dahlia cuttings – turn 1 tuber into 10.
In this video Sarah shows you how to plant up your dahlia tubers.
Plant Delivery - When in stock, please allow up to 4-6 weeks for despatch.
Click here to find out more information about our delivery rates and times.
Dahlia 'Downham Royal' reviews
Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Jane All brilliant - looking great now - one of my favorites |
Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Christine Advised immediately upon ordering when to expect plant, which arrived in excellent condition. Grew as expected, and as of todays date (31.7.19) just one flower so far, which is as illustrated in catalogue. |
The star of the Venetian Dahlia Collection
Reviewed 4th November 2018 by JuneyG This was the only one of the collection that flowered prolifically until the first frosts. Now I've dug them up the tubers look great - hoping for a repeat next year! |
Well worth the money!
Reviewed 13th October 2018 by Helen Gorgeous flowers and lots of them. I love the colour and the shape. They are a mid size dahlia, bigger than the tiny buttonhole ones. The plant grew large and healthy and came back strong from last year. |
Best of venietian collection
Reviewed 23rd September 2018 by June This is the only one of the collection that has lived up to expectations . Prolific |
Beautiful Dahlia
Reviewed 11th August 2018 by Alan Stewart Grew this for the first time this year and its a delight; an incredible colour with perfect ball flowers, has been flowering almost since planting in June. Goes really well with terracotta colours. Highly recommended. |