Another week, another struggle to feature a recent find that isn’t just the latest in a line of breathtaking dahlias. They say variety is the spice of life, but also, I’m nearly thirty and know exactly what I want to order from my local Indian takeaway to ensure maximum glutinous greatness/guilt – yes, you could say that the dahlia family is very much the floral equivalent of my king prawn biryani with a side of saag paneer and two poppadoms.
Because basically, if you get them from a good place that deals in fresh produce (Floom, for example), it’s a safe bet that they’re gonna be excellent. And the Mignon dahlia is no exception. They’re a special type of ‘single’ dahlia - they bloom with a single burst of florets just like their peers, except they have round ray floret tips to add a little extra pizzaz. They also never have more than two rows of pollen, and their flowering never exceeds a couple of inches in diameter, making them pretty cutesy also if you’re that way inclined.
Some favourite Mignon dahlias? The G. F. Hemerik is a good’un: it’s dainty composition offset by some brassy orange blooms. We’re also giving mad props to the ‘Scura’, a lil’ dwarf dahlia that clearly suffers from whatever the floral equivalent of short-man complex is, puffing its metaphorical chest out with some real bushy foliage. Contrasts nicely though with the tiny tangerine flowers though.
Whether its one of the above or some other totally wonderful type – we’re literally jealous of whatever Mignon you get to lay your eyes on. Go forth and explore!
