The National Garden Bureau, which promotes the gardening industry and annually designates garden flowers of the year, has designated the Dahlia as the bulb flower of 2019. And, it just so happens that now is the best time in 2019 to see Dahlias around here. here are images of two Ball Dahlias that were taken last week.
The Dahlia was discovered by Europeans in Mexico, where natives grew it for its edible tubers, medicinal benefits, and hollow stems that were used for water pipes. It’s named after Anders Dahl, an 18th Century Swedish botanist who classified it as a vegetable, apparently based on its history.
Few gardeners today would chop their Dahlias into salads. The plants are among the most popular show flowers in the world and are constantly being engineered into new forms and colors. Here are a few from Maine gardens:
Most researchers recognize 42 present-day species of Dahlias and divide them into 14 groups, as of now. It seems that the only color that has not been produced in a Dahlia is blue, and hybrid speciaslists reportedly are working hard on that. (Brooklin, Maine)