Karma Maarten Zwaan Dahlia Tubers

Karma Maarten Zwaan Dahlia Tubers

A vision of sophistication and grace, the magnificent white waterlily flowers of Karma Maarten Zwaan will brighten the garden throughout summer and well into autumn. Fully-double white blooms soften to a creamy yellow at the centre of layer upon layer of loosely-packed, slightly incurved petals and reach an impressive 14cm in diameter. Originally developed as a cut flower, this fabulous dahlia has strong stems and excellent longevity in a vase.

Browse our other Waterlily varieties or see our full range of Dahlias here.

Features

• Colour: White
• Flower Size: 14cm
• Type: Decorative waterlily
• Cutting: Yes
• Height/spread: 90cm by 60cm
• Flowering: July to November
• Planting Months: March to July

How to Grow Karma Maarten Zwaan Dahlias

Dahlias like deep, fertile soil with good drainage and this compact variety is ideal for the middle of a sunny border. Add stakes at planting time, so support is available when it is needed.

Water well in dry periods and keep your dahlias flowering prolifically throughout summer and autumn by adding a bit of soluble food in the watering can once every couple of weeks. Dahlias grown in containers need to be kept especially well watered and fed.

Planting Companions for Karma Maarten Zwaan

Combine with other waterlily dahlias like deep maroon Sam Hopkins and golden yellow Glorie van Heemstede to create a dramatic impact, or blend into white borders alongside Echinacea 'White Swan', Salvia x sylvestris 'Schneehugel' and white-flowered shrubs like Choisya x dewitteana 'White Dazzler'.

Ideal in container displays, the pure white blooms make a spectacular contrast to the scarlet flowers and dark foliage of Canna 'Tropicanna Black' and the deep purple leaves of Colocasia 'Black Magic'.

Did You Know?

The Karma Dahlia Series was developed between 1993 and 2017 by Dutch breeder, Verwer. With their sturdy stems and long vase life of up to 12 days, they are among the best for cutting.

The pure white Maarten Zwaan was added to the Karma collection in 2001, along with Karma's Fuchsiana, Corona, Ventura and Bon Bini.

Unless they are grown from seed, Dahlias can be planted at three stages: as tubers, rooted cuttings and pot-grown plants.

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 add plenty of horticultural grit if drainage is in any way doubtful. Plant one tuber per hole, leaving 60-80cms between plants (depending on final size) and make sure the tuber is covered with 10-12cms (4-5") of soil. This will insulate the tuber against frosts in March-May as they will take a couple of months to show.

Rooted cuttings (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 10cms below the surrounding soil level.

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

Deadhead regularly to encourage more flowers over a longer period.