'Bishop of Llandaff' is a

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

of the

dahlia ''Dahlia'' ( , ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sun ...

, a garden plant. It is a branching,

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

ous tender

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

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 (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

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 geologist ...

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's cathedra, seat is in the Llandaff Cathedral, Cathedral Chu ...

, in 1924 and won the RHS

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

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. The variety became very popular in the 1990s. The simpler form (single or semi-double) of the flower makes the nectar and pollen more accessible to pollinating insects. 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