Lady Holland’s Dahlia Seeds and the Language of Love (1804)
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
May 20, 1804
Lady Holland sent home a parcel of seeds from Spain, and among them: dahlias—soon to be Europe’s flamboyant darlings. The account in 1807 tells of trials, triumphs, and a cold greenhouse where the plants woke in April.
In the spring of 1805 all the parcels of seed were sewn, including four varieties of Dahlia.
The Dahlia Rosea was the most handsome and produced plenty of seeds.
And all the plants of 1805, except one, were taken up before Christmas and planted in pots or large pans.
They were kept in a very cold greenhouse, and they began to push new shoots in the middle of April [the following year].
Named for the Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, the genus had its doubters—too showy, some sniffed. Yet modern gardeners adore them. Roots and flowers have been used medicinally; cities like Seattle and San Francisco claim them; brides carry them. In the language of flowers, dahlia means commitment—everlasting love in a thousand petals.
