If you love gardens, you undoubtedly love plants and if you love plants, I can’t imagine how you could not love dahlias.
There are certain characteristics that gardeners usually want from a plant and, to my mind, dahlias combine more of these characteristics than virtually any other plant.
Most obviously, they have beautiful flowers in many different forms, and the multitude of varieties of dahlias offer countless flower shapes and colours.
Dalias come in various heights, so will not be out of place in the back, middle or front of the border – or even in pots – and can add to the overall design of a border or to stand alone as a featured plant.
Dahlias also have strong forms and leafy habits, adding bulk and strength to your displays and, with the right care, they’ll flower over a prolonged period.
Best of all, dahlias provide us with a focus for the whole growing season. First, a sense of anticipation, as we plant them out and watch them gradually grow and bush out into their allotted space. Then, the grateful appreciation of and wonder at their stunning floral displays. Finally, we become engrossed in the careful attention we give to tasks like stopping, disbudding, deadheading and pruning (more on these later), as we seek to eke out the beauty of our dahlias for as long as the seasons will allow.
None of this is to say that dahlias are especially easy to grow – they do require some care and that is what the posts in this section will teach you about. But neither is taking care of dahlias especially difficult and the efforts you make with your plants will be rewarded 10 times over.
I’ve been growing dahlias for over twenty years, and have grown them in three countries, and two hemispheres.
I can definitely tell you from experience, therefore, that these are plants that can lift your garden to a different level and they will lift your spirits too – every time you look at them.
Martin Cole, Gardening Step by Step
There are a few factors to consider when deciding how deep to plant dahlia tubers. There is also not a huge amount of agreement among dahlia experts as to how deep to plant, and whether it really makes much difference. For example, in his book “The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Dahlias”, dahlia expert Gareth Rowlands …
Stopping/topping dahlias, as well as disbudding and deadheading are all techniques that enable us to get the best out of our dahlia plants. They each have a slightly different purpose but all are ways in which we can influence the production of flowers by the dahlia plant. Here we focus on stopping or topping. Stopping, …
Once you have decided when to plant out your dahlia tubers, you’ll need to think about your dahlia spacing – how far apart to plant the tubers. In this post, we’ll look at that question. As with most things in gardening, how you space your dahlias will depend on your own particular circumstances. In particular, …
What is Dahlia Gall? Dahlia Gall disease is a bacterial disease that affects the stems and roots of Dahlia plants. Technically, there are two types of gall that affect dahlias: crown gall and leafy gall. Crown gall is a dahlia tuber disease caused by the bacterium Rhizobium radiobacter (also known as Agrobacterium tumefaciens). Leafy gall …
Best time for planting out dahlia tubers “When should I plant out dahlia tubers?” That is the eternal dilemma of the dahlia grower in Spring. The answer to this question will ultimately be determined by the climate and conditions where you are. The critical point to remember is that dahlias cannot really take any frost. …
