Dahlia imperialis 'Double or Nothing'
Double Lavender Tree Dahlia
Item #: 5926
Zones: 7b to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 108" tall
Origin: Central America
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
(syn: Dahlia imperialis Double Purple) Thanks to customer Larry Depuy for sharing this wonderful form of the giant tree dahlia. We eventually tracked these back to the late California plantsman extraordinaire Wayne Roderick, who introduced a plethora of great garden plants. Since it had no valid cultivar name, we have given it one. The 9' bamboo-like stalks are topped in late October with sprays of 3" anemone-like, lavender double flowers...very spectacular and attractive to hummingbirds if you can hold off the frosts long enough to enjoy the flowers. If not, the stalks are a great structural element in the garden anyway.
Maintenance:
Cut this plant to the ground after frost has killed it. This is about all the maintenance that it requires. Despite its great height it most often manages to stand up without assistance.
Growing Conditions:
Full sun and good drainage. It does not need sharp drainage, just avoid soggy sites. Killing frosts in the fall are now quite a bit later than they were 20 or 30 years ago and Dahlia imperialis does now some years manage to bloom out fully.
Garden Value:
Yes indeed Dahlia imperialis adds some WOW factor to your garden with its amazing height and floral display. The floral display is stunning when it occurs. Great horizontal side branches, way over head, bear saucer sized pendant flowers. That the flowers are pendant means that they are looking down at the earthbound viewer which is much better than looking up at the underside of the flower heads. Long before a tree dahlia blooms the plant itself has a big bold architectural presence in the garden with its sturdy trunks and layers of large compound leaves.
Natural Impact:
Tree dahlias bloom so late in the year it might not support many pollinators, though should one be passing through the garden they would make use of the flowers when so few other plants are in bloom.
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Other Attributes
Genus: Dahlia
Flower Color: Pink , Purple/Lavender
Leaf Color: Green
Bloom Time: Fall
Container Role: Thrillers
Garden Themes: Cottage Garden Plants
Other: Edimentals , Cut Flower Plants , Giant Plants , Hummingbird Plants , Pollinator Plants , North American Native Plants , Plant Delights Introductions , Plants Named After Animals , Plants that Attract Birds , Rabbit Resistant Plants , Tropical Looking Plants