Description

Dahlia Kennemerland is a cactus dahlia grown for two things: clean yellow colour and a sharp starburst flower form. The blooms are typically golden yellow to lemony yellow, and the petals are narrow, rolled and pointed, creating a spiky, radiating silhouette that stands out in a border even from a distance. Irish horticulturists use cactus dahlias like this to add texture to late summer planting and to keep borders looking lively through August and September, especially in estate borders, public beds and entrance planting where colour needs to read clearly in mixed weather. In Irish gardens it works well as a feature plant or planted in small groups to create a block of yellow that lifts the whole scheme. Yellow also performs well on dull days, keeping planting looking bright. The starburst shape pairs particularly well with softer flower forms and grasses, so it sits nicely with ornamental grasses, rudbeckia, echinacea, salvias and silvery foliage. It also cuts well, giving bold stems for vases and summer arrangements, and regular cutting or deadheading encourages repeat flowering into autumn.
Plant after frost risk has passed, in full sun and fertile, free draining soil improved with compost. Keep moisture steady through summer, stake if exposed, feed from bud stage onwards and deadhead regularly to maintain continuous buds. Lift and store tubers frost free after the first frosts for reliable replanting in Ireland.