'Bishop of Llandaff' is a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

of the

dahlia Dahlia (, ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the Asteraceae (former name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, ...

, a garden plant. It is a branching,

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

ous tender

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

with dark purple, almost black, foliage. This produces a stunning contrast with its scarlet flowers. The plant was first bred by Fred Treseder, a

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

nurseryman. It was selected by and named to honour

Joshua Pritchard Hughes Joshua Pritchard Hughes (13 February 1847 – 8 April 1938) was Bishop of Llandaff from 1905 to 1931. Hughes was born into an ecclesiastical family, the son of Joshua Hughes ( Bishop of St Asaph 1870–1889). His older brother was the geologis ...

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's seat is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (the site of a ...

, in 1924 and won the RHS

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

in 1928. The plant is about 1 m tall and flowers from June until September. As with all dahlias, frost blackens its foliage, and in areas prone to frost its tubers need to be overwintered in a dry, frost-free place. A seed strain has been produced from this plant called 'Bishops Children', they retain the dark foliage colour but produce a mix of flower colours and flower shapes from single to semi-double flowers in different sizes. Plant Profile: *Height: *Spread: *Site: full sun *Soil: fertile, free-draining * Hardiness: half-hardy Also comes in rich reds and purples, yellows and oranges, as well as paler shades

References

External links

*{{cite web , title=Plant finder – Dahlia – Bishop of Llandaff , url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/254.shtml , website=BBC Ornamental plant cultivars