49. La collection des dahlias

Dahlias hold a special place in our gardens thanks to the variety and abundance of their flowers, their elegant forms and the sheer diversity of colours they provide. Whether they are cactus dahlias, decorative, single-flowered, dwarf, ball, pompon, collarette, camelia-flowered, anemone-flowered, peony-flowered or orchid dahlias, fimbriated or star dahlias, they all illuminate gardens between June and October, and are a superb addition to bouquets.

The dahlia is a tuberous plant native to Mexico, Central America and Columbia, and arrived at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris in 1802. Its tubers were originally intended to be used as a food crop, a replacement for potatoes, but very quickly, its dietary properties were forgotten and it was used for decorative purposes instead. New species of cactus dahlias were imported from Mexico to Holland in 1872, and then to France in 1876, an important date in the horticultural development of this plant on French soil. Since the end of the 19^th century, more than forty thousand varieties of dahlias have been created in the world.

For five generations now, the Turc family has been prominent in the plant sector in Anjou, and over the years, they have been concentrating their expertise on ornamental bulbous plants. Today, they are specialised in procurement, production and creation of new varieties and they own the French national collection of dahlias, certified by the French Conservatory of Specialised Plant Collections (CCVS).