Yellow Spiky Dahlia

The Island Bed should be renamed the Dahlia Bed - at least in the heat of mid-summer. Many original plain red dahlias are flowering by this time, as well as this bright yellow spiky flowered variety.

Bright Summer Colours

I really enjoy their summer flowers and bright colours. I must have purchased this yellow spiky dahlia - such flowers do not appear by chance. But when? Allow me to quote from my 2004 journal:

A yellow spiked dahlia is flowering at the back of the glass-house and I have absolutely no memory of purchasing or being given it. Surely one remembers dahlias? Hmm...

My flower reference book talks about cactus flowering and semi-cactus flowering dahlias. My bright yellow plant will be one of these, and I must have shifted it into the Island Bed at some stage.

Update - Summer of 2012

The yellow spiky dahlia is still flowering and growing well, despite some serious overcrowding in the summer Island Bed. Those red dahlias keep on self-seeding, and random Lycnhis plants fill up the gaps between them. Everything gets really bulky in mid-summer. At least the weeds are invisible.

To add to the chaos I recently planted three white hydrangea shrubs in the middle fo the Island Bed in early spring, when there seemed to be heaps of room. So yet more summer flowers will be competing for light and space when they get established. Oh well. At least this very bright yellow dahlia will be easy to spot in the jumble!