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Dahlia
Society of California is interested in promoting |
  Just
as in any subject, trivial information about Dahlia and
growing Dahlia are fun to read. From time to time, we will
include more of these. We welcome DSC members and friends of DSC
to submit new trivia questions to the
editor.
Answers to the question can either be obtained by placing your cursor on the picture or via hyperlink. |
| Q: Dahlias were originally native to Mexico. Do you know the romantic history of how it became such a popular plant in the 1800 when some 10,000 new varieties of dahlias were introduced and ranked right up there in popularity with roses? |
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In 1570 King Phillip
II of Spain sent Francisco Hernandez to Mexico to study
the natural resources of the country. He stayed for 7
years and described plants that resemble dahlia species
under the names, Acocotli and Cocoxochitl. The first
drawings were made of the dahlias by an associate who
was traveling with Hernandez and were published in 1651.
They disappeared from record until 1787 when a botanical expedition sent seeds back to their headquarters in Europe. Their existence was kept secret for another ten years. The history of their introduction is confusing. Spanish invaders sent them home to the Old World, but dahlias did not take European gardeners by storm.
A very good reading
source for the history and other aspects of Dahlia is
the
Encyclopedia of Dahlias by Bill McClaren. |
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In
the early 19th century seeds were sent to Berlin, where
they were named after Dahl. When they returned to the
New World, they were known as ~Mexican Georginas.~ The
first dahlias to make their way from Mexico were in
Empress Josephine's garden at Malmaison. Josephine was
very protective of her dahlia collection. During that
time, a good dahlia could be traded for a diamond.
Fearing the rare tubers might fall into someone else's
hands, she alone cared for the plants. When one of her
loyal ladies-in-waiting hatched a plot to get a tuber,
Josephine banished her and ordered the dahlias to be
destroyed. 
Because a disease
in the early 1840's had destroyed the French potato
crop, the scientists at that time looked at the dahlia
as a possible source of food. However after
tasting the dahlia they gave up the idea and decided
just to grow it for its beauty. There is story from the
eighteenth century concerning love and dahlias. Sir
Godfrey Webster was living in Florence with his wife
when Lord Holland came to town. Lady Webster eloped with
Lord Holland . The love affair between the two blossomed
into a long and happy marriage. From 1800 and 1805 they
lived in France and in Spain where Lady Holland first
saw dahlias that had reached Spain about 15 years
before. She sent some home to England and it is on the
strength of that shipment that she is given credit for
the introduction of the dahlia into England.
