When Mr Fothergill’s talent-spotter Tom Stimpson noticed some striking new dahlias on the breeder’s trial plots late last summer he had no hesitation in securing exclusive rights to six of the varieties, all of which are the result of a breeding programme which dates back 20 years.

The brand new varieties which Tom ‘signed up’ are offered for the first time in the Summer Garden Plant Catalogue 2010 from Mr Fothergill’s Direct, the mail order arm of the seed and young plant company. “The breeder’s love of these glorious flowers is infectious" says Tom. “What started out as a hobby, has become a breeding programme where more than 5000 hybrids are grown out each year, with only the best and most garden-worthy retained for further trials and selections. Visiting the trial grounds last summer was one of the highlights of my plant hunting year”.
    
Tom was particularly struck by the flower forms, colours and size of the varieties, backed by the strength of stems and the freedom with which the blooms were produced. Dahlia Bangkok is a decorative type in tones of rich copper and fiery red, while Dahlia Cheverny is a lemon yellow, cactus-flowered strain. Dahlia Chunghong is also cactus-flowered, with its rich pink heads forming a spider-like effect. Dahlia Brenda and Dahlia Valentina, both ‘decoratives’, are equally eye-catching. Brenda flowers in shades of warm apricot and orange and pink, while Valentina’s pink suffused with yellow heads appear striped and marbled. All varieties grow to a height of around 4ft (1.2m) and produce blooms up to 6in (15cm) in diameter.
    
Five young plants of any variety or a collection one plant each of five costs £9.95. Customers who order two collections for £19.90 will also receive five plants of Dahlia Château D’Urville completely free of charge. Again new and exclusive, Château D’Urville is a glorious, rich orange flowered decorative dahlia which grows to 3ft (90cm) with heads up to 6in (15cm) across. Orders for the new dahlias are being accepted until the end of April 2010 for delivery from early May 2010 onwards.