A love affair with French Dahlias

A short dahlia history

First cultivated by the ancient Aztecs, dahlias were often used for hauling water, and as an actual source of water for traveling hunters.

In fact the Aztec name for "tree dahlias" is “water-cane” as dahlias have the ability to survive, indeed thrive in the most arid and hostile of environments!

During the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors discovered today's dahlias.

About 200 years passed before dahlia seeds, roots, and plants found their way to Europe as an experimental food source, since the blooms were not particularly noteworthy.

In 1789 a box of dahlia roots were sent from Mexico to Holland by Father Canavlles. He gave the name Dahlia to the bulbs in homage to the Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl. When the bulbs first came to France in 1802 they were planted in the “Museum of Natural History”.  All of Paris came out to see the wonderful new flower from the New World.

By the early 19th century the first fully double forms began to emerge and became very popular as nurserymen expanded combinations with selective breeding, and hybridizing.

Dahlias became very popular and were planted in Kings Castle grounds and also by common folk. Artists took the flower to new heights as Impressionists such as Paul Cezzane revealed these beautiful flowers to the world!

The Delbard dahlia seedling test site	New never before seen varieties to come!

Delbards love affair with dahlias

After World War 2 a close friend of Georges Delbard was nourishing a passion for dahlia breeding. Raymond Guillois and Georges began crossing Dahlias together to find out what extraordinary offspring they could create. Over the early years they won many National awards for their efforts.

Raymond continued his passion for many decades, but as age crept up he took the decision to hand back all his knowledge of Dahlia breeding to the next generation of Delbards. Henri, son of George’s conscious of this heritage took up the challenge to continue this great legacy, and continued to create new flowers with color, shape, foliage and habit.

Every colour except the elusive blue (which we are still seeking) is covered by the wide range of offspring. Violet and mauve cultivars, through to sunny lemon, gold’s, oranges, reds, pinks, plum and purple- blacks to white.

The latest Delbard Dahlias are bred and selected over a 6 year process. From 10,000 hand pollinated seeds, through a rigorous selection process, that with much study and angst whittles the numbers down to 5 new varieties to release onto the market in any given year.

Many of these Dahlias are now winning awards throughout Europe, for their size, exceptional flowering, original colours, sturdy and compact growth habits and often decorative foliage.

Rankins continues the passion in Australia

With a great relationship built on the mutual love of roses, the Delbard family and Rankins now embark on a new adventure. This is an adventure of outrageous colours, shapes, and diversity, and one of the toughest plants of all ….Dahlias.

Rankins take up the challenge to grow and release the wonderfully new “Delbard Dahlia” hybrids to Australian gardeners.

From the quarantine house to our local trial fields where we grow them, we are thrilled to see each new variety perform and bloom for us. Their toughness, and tolerance adaptability to Australia’s harshest hot and dry summers have been proven.

We have grown them here for many years now and are very excited to see our first Delbard Dahlias become available for Australian gardeners this winter.

From a humble water source for the Aztec people of the mountainous regions of Mexico and Guatemala, the Dahlia  has become Mexico’s national flower and has been on an extraordinary journey into the modern dahlia that is now loved the world over!

We hope their flamboyance will bring you and your fellow gardeners much joy.