Belle Fleur Dahlia Gardens

Belle Fleur, French for "beautiful flower", is the home of Oreti dahlias which are bred here. Begun in 1976, when gums, silver birches and rhododendrons were planted for shelter, the dahlia garden now features over 700 different varieties. The shaped display beds are arranged in different types; some are colour coordinated and others feature companion planting. Dahlia sizes range from the tiny dwarfs which are ideal for border displays, to the giant 40-centimetre dahlias planted in exhibition beds.

Paul finds that red, lavender and purple dahlias sell well, while the yellows, oranges and whites are not as popular, so they have a demonstration bed of red dahlias interplanted with yellow and white to show how these colours bring the red out. Colour combinations change each year, with many of the beds edged in annuals such as the fluffy blue ageratum bordering lemon and yellow dahlias in one plot, and pink dahlias in another. Dahlia foliage varies from green to a rich black, with one plot devoted to the black-leafed varieties. Lavenders and ageratum edge the garden by the bridge which leads to a trial garden, where new dahlias are assessed by the National Dahlia Society, along with a public voting system. A video of dahlias from Belle Fleur, selling for $17.50, features over 150 dahlias. A mail-order catalogue is available for $2.50

Directions:

From City, take SH 99 for 13km to Wallacetown. Continue 5km, turn right into Oporo-Northope Flat Rd. Travel 15km & turn left into Drain Rd. Belle Fleur Gardens 2nd on left. From Lumsden, take SH 6 south. Turn right into SH 96. Take 1st left & turn right into Drain Rd. And as above to Belle Fleur.