Dahlia

Where does the meaning of dahlias come from?

Dahlias grew wild in the highlands of Mexico, where the Aztecs cultivated them long before Spanish botanists carried them to Europe in the late eighteenth century; the genus honours the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. To the Victorians the dahlia signified dignity and a steadfast, lasting bond: 'forever thine' in the language of flowers. Their season runs from late summer into autumn, and they range from dinner-plate blooms to neat pompons.

What does each colour of dahlias mean?

The studio buys dahlias in burnt orange, café au lait and crimson, and at the bench each colour is read for its own meaning, a shade of the whole: dignity and lasting commitment.

• Burnt orangebold, warm-hearted energy
• Café au laitunderstated elegance
• Crimsonsteadfast devotion

When are dahlias in season?

Dahlias are in season July to October, so they are in the studio this month.

In the studio's bunches it is a focal flower: the one a bunch is built around, with the others chosen to frame it.

When should you give dahlias?

Dahlias carry elegance, devotion and strength, and the studio's guide to occasions lists them for birthdays, anniversaries, congratulations and just because. Each of those pages shows the other stems that say the same thing, and the bunches made for the day.

• Birthdayslisted beside tulip, ranunculus and sunflower
• Anniversarieslisted beside garden rose, peony and oriental lily
• Congratulationslisted beside peony, sunflower and gerbera
• Just becauselisted beside spray rose, tulip and ranunculus

Which other flowers mean the same as dahlias?

The studio's guide to the meaning of flowers files every stem by what it says. These say the same as dahlias, so a bunch can carry the message in another season or another colour:

• Elegancegarden rose, ranunculus, hydrangea and oriental lily
• Devotionstocks, alstroemeria, veronica and astilbe
• Strengthsnapdragon, alstroemeria, sea holly and astrantia

What goes well with dahlias in a bouquet?

Pairings follow the florist's rule: one voice leads and the others frame it, so a bunch has a focal flower, a secondary one, texture and green. Dahlias are a focal flower, and in the studio's pairings they sit with these, each with a meaning of its own:

• Snapdragona secondary flower, which means graciousness and inner strength
• Scabiosaa secondary flower, which means unfortunate love and remembrance
• Craspediatexture, which means good health and lasting cheer
• Alchemillatexture, which means comfort and protective love
• Pistachefoliage, which means freshness and renewal
• Alstroemeriaa secondary flower, which means friendship, devotion and mutual support

How do I look after dahlias in a vase?

The studio's care card for a hand-tied bunch says: Your bunch is tied so it stands on its own. The string is part of the arrangement, so leave it on. Cut a couple of centimetres off every stem at an angle with sharp scissors. A fresh cut drinks; a dry one seals over. Stand them in a clean vase of fresh, cool water with the flower food we sent. Top it up daily and change it every two or three days. Strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline, because leaves in water go slimy and spoil the water. Keep them out of direct sun and away from radiators, and never next to the fruit bowl: ripening fruit gives off a gas that ages flowers. A cool room overnight does them good. If the house is warm, a north-facing windowsill or a hallway is kinder than the kitchen. Take out anything that goes over before the rest. One tired stem makes the whole bunch look tired, and it hurries the others along. Every flower keeps its own pace: tulips go on growing in the vase, lilies open a bud at a time, and the softest stems are over first. How long they go on depends on the stems and the room they are in.