Blooming in an amazing range of colours and in many different forms, including flamboyant cactus, waterlily and pompon varieties, dahlias are simply gorgeous and a beautiful addition to the autumn garden. Whilst they all look spectacular, remember it is the single-flowered, open-centred dahlias which are the best ones for pollinating insects.
For pollinators, the difference in dahlias has to do with the central disk where the pollen is produced and nectar can be accessed. With fewer petals and the reproductive parts on show, bees, butterflies and other insects have easy access to the flower’s pollen and nectar - and the flowers are no less beautiful. Dahlias classified as singles, collarettes and anenomes feed pollinators well so do try to include some of them in your dahlia collection.
We asked our readers to send us pictures of dahlias in their gardens and allotments and oh how fabulous and inspirational they are! The image above is Dahlia 'Evanah', image sent in from Tata Beattie.