Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff

Bishop of Llandaff has proved hugely popular of the years, spearheading the resurgence in dahlias' popularity in the noughties. Take a look at the rest of our range; there's plenty to choose from.

The Bishop's aubergine-coloured stems and foliage are a delicious contrast for the bright cherry-red single paeony blooms, a combination that helped to scoop dahlias from the forgotten backwaters of allotments and 'granny's garden' and propel them to the fashionable heights of the Chelsea showgarden. Trends aside, this really is a spectacular and dramatic variety of dahlia, with long, strong stems holding aloft those pure-red single flowers with dark central buttons to perfection – and making it one of the best for picking and bringing indoors. No wonder, then, that it holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit: it's gorgeous, a great performer, and versatile in the garden.

Growing in the garden

At 90cm tall, Bishop of Llandaff is stately but not tricky or top heavy, so it lends itself well to growing either in pots on a sunny patio (plant it with some bronzed grasses for a fabulous effect) or to planting in the mid section of beds and borders. Here it combines fabulously with other 'hot' and exotic companions – think cannas (either with green or bronze foliage), cotinus, ricinus and phormiums (the cream and green varieties look wonderful with Bishop of Llandaff). Lilac-coloured asters make a surprisingly wonderful colour combination with the Bishop's red and near-black tones.

Unlike most dahlias, Bishop of Llandaff is unlikely to need staking, unless you live in a particularly windy spot.

Keep deadheading or cutting to bring those gorgeous flowers indoor and Bishop of Llandaff will flower profusely until the first frosts.

Features

Colour: bright red with bronze centres
Foliage: deep plum
Flower size: 7cm
Type: paeony dahlia
Cutting: yes
Height/spread: 90cm x 90cm
Flowering: July to November
Planting months: end Feb to July
RHS Award of Garden Merit

One of many

Bred by Cardiff nurseryman Fred Treseder in 1927, Bishop of Llandaff is the forerunner to a whole series of Bishops, among them 'of Auckland', a deeper red, 'of York', a sunny ochre yellow, and 'of Canterbury', a rich plum magenta.

All dahlias do best in deep rich soil with good drainage in a sunny spot. If it is windy they will need staking. They are greedy, thirsty plants so will need watering in dry spells, and they will always flower just that little bit better if there is a bit of soluble food in the watering can once every couple of weeks.

If you ignore seed, Dahlias can be planted at three stages: as tubers, rooted cuttings and pot-grown plants.

Dahlia tubers can be planted at any time from March onwards. The hole should be at least double the diameter of the tuber laid out on the ground. Incorporate about 25% well rotted compost and if drainage is in any way doubtful then add plenty of horticultural grit as well. Plant one tuber per hole, leaving 60-80 cms between plants (depending on final size) and make sure the tuber is covered with 10-12 cms (4-5") of soil. This is important as it will insulate the tuber against frosts in March-May as they will take a couple of months to show.

Rooted cuttings, which are available from early April onwards, will need to be potted up and kept in a sunny and frost free place until they are ready to be planted out in mid May. Their treatment then is the same as for tubers except they are planted level with rather than 10 cms below the surrounding soil level.

Pot grown plants are not delivered until June, and are then planted out immediately in the same way as an established rooted cutting.

The more you deadhead, the more dahlias flower.

Read our full terms and conditions here.

Delivery: Our standard delivery charges are:

Small box (Orders containing only seedlings or rooted cuttings) £7.20 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £60 inc VAT)
Standard box (Bareroots up to 1.2m) £11.40 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £60 inc VAT)
Large box (Pots up to and incl. 7.5L) £15.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £100 inc VAT)
Trees & Hedging (Bareroots & trees 1.2m+) £18.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £120 inc VAT)
Pallets (Root balls, large pots, trees etc) £60.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £240 inc VAT)

Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Misc	RHS AGM
Shade	Full Sun
Soil	Good, Well Drained
Colour	Red/Crimson
Type	Pot Grown, Rooted Cutting, Tuber
Also Good	Repeat Flowering
Flowering	Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

	Buy 3 or more plants and save

SIZES	1-2	3+
3L	Out of Stock £12.00	Out of Stock£10.80
	Prices include VAT

'Bishop of Llandaff' Paeony Dahlia Plants