Lithuanian dahlia variety awarded in Paris

„It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that The International Dahlia competition organized by Parc Floral de Paris is one of the most significant in Europe: every year, the most important breeders from Europe and America are participating here, and the awarded varieties are rapidly becoming popular all over the world“, – says the head of the Collections Department at the Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University Dr. Arūnas Balsevičius, who has just returned from Paris where the dahlia ‘Orija’, bred by him, won the Children’s prize and second place in the nominee for Public Dahlia.

Altogether, in 2018, 84 new varieties of dahlias from France, the Netherlands, Latvia, Russia, Lithuania, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, and Canada were presented. Dahlia’s were judged by a large jury composed of nine professional reviewers and breeders groups. The main focus was on plant’s appearance and resistance to diseases and pests.

The new Lithuanian dahlia variety ‘Orija’, which was exhibited at the competition, has won even in two categories: the Children’s prize and second place in the nominee for Public Dahlia. This is still the first such high rating of Lithuanian flower variety. Other awards were given to French and Latvian flower breeders.