CHAPTER VIII 

 DECORATIVE DAHLIAS 



THE Dahlias popularly known as decorative varieties have 

 been often described as flowers that do not conform to the 

 standard of any recognised sections but yet are sufficiently 

 attractive forjcultivation. This somewhat vague description 

 served its purpose very well when the number of varieties 

 was small and a proportion of them such, for instance, as 

 the brilliantly coloured Glare of the Garden had belonged 

 to the distant past ; but with largely increased numbers it 

 would be well were an endeavour made to adopt a standard 

 that would indicate the characteristics of the section and 

 thus serve as a guide to both cultivators and raisers. It 

 is generally understood that the blooms should be double, 

 with broad and more or less flat florets with rounded or 

 pointed tips, but in the preparation of a code of properties 

 to which exhibitors and judges would have to give their 

 adherence considerable latitude must be allowed. Unless 

 this is done several varieties of much merit will be ex- 

 cluded, as for example the stately Grand Due Alexis with 

 its fluted or rolled up florets, and the elegant Admiration, 

 which has large flowers with broad florets that are so grace- 

 fully curved as to suggest a close relationship with the 

 paeony-flowered section. 



The decorative Dahlias have been introduced at periods 



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