Where in the garden will my dahlias look their best?

We ask the experts how to pick the perfect setting for these blossoms that will infuse your autumn garden with colour 

Dahlias' blooms provide bursts of colour whether in pots or beds.

DAHLIAS are the darlings of late summer and autumn, their blooms providing bursts of colour whether in pots or beds and borders. But some are better at showing off on patios, while others will nestle happily amid perennials and shrubs in a wider setting, or set off a zingy palette in a tropical garden.

Dahlia specialist Rob Evans, owner of Pheasant Acre Plants (pheasantacreplants.co.uk), a Chelsea Gold Medal-winning nursery, says: “Whatever dahlia you choose, they prefer full sun, being native to Mexico, and we now grow them in peat-free compost and find they do just as well.