Dahlia: Vera's Elma

One of my old fashioned large decorative dahlia favorites. I love Vera's Elma; a well respected formal decorative with rich mauve saturation and pearl tips. Excellent involute form. Centers tend towards lime.

To avoid green centers (oh no losing points in competition), dress soil with sulphate of potash and alpaca manure in spring. Apply seaweed liquid fertilizer mid summer to fall for generous tuber growth and sustained blooms until May. 

The earwigs do like this cultivar so do have chemical or organic solutions in play to deal with these. Predatory wasps will also be your ally. 

Basically if you follow the dahlia growing guide on this website,; this is a very reliable and rewarding dahlia. She will last 7-10 days in a vase or win you a medal in competition.

Earthy and burly but always seductive. 

(Gardener, UK, 1996)