Giant Imperial Tree Dahlia Tubers

Imperialis Dahlia

The wild cousin of the more common cultivated ornamental dahlias, Dahlia imperialis is a statuesque plant. It produces smallish single, pink purple blooms from late October but, in this country at least, these usually arrive too late to beat the frosts, so it is better to think of it as a foliage plant. And what a useful one it is. It will easily reach up to 4 metres high over the course of a summer so it’s an ideal spacefiller for tucking in at the back of a border or disguising less than lovely features like composting areas or a tumbedown fence.

Dahlia imperialis can reach up to 4 metres in height and 1.5 metres in spread.

Dahlia imperialis makes an excellent foliage plant, perfect for adding tropical texture to borders and large containers.

Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae family of plants. They are clump-forming deciduous tuberous perennials with pinnate leaves and showy flowers in summer and autumn. Dahlia imperialis is a wild species dahlia, native to Mexico and Central America, and the progenitor of all cultivated dahlias. Dahlias are named after the 18th-century Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.

Tree dahlias are easy to grow and generally free of pests and diseases. You might occasionally need to tackle pests such as slugs and earwigs and diseases such as powdery mildew but good gardening practices, such as appropriate weeding and feeding, together with our range of organic garden products will help keep your dahlias healthy.

Dahlia imperialis make a quick and easy addition to a richly textured tropical border. Team with colourful cannas and foliage plants like ferns, phormium and grasses. In a good summer you may be able to enjoy the pretty flowers – growing your tree dahlia in a conservatory or greenhouse will increase the chances of this.