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
The point of this post is to provide some inspiration for your dahlia growing – to show you how beautiful dahlias can look when arranged artfully in vases and placed carefully around the home. And you should know from the outset that I have used AI to create these images. I have increasingly found AI …
In this post, we’ll look at some of the reasons why you might want to grow orange dahlias, as well as 10 of the best orange dahlias to grow. Why grow orange dahlias? I always think that orange dahlias are offer a burst of colour that captures the essence of summer, especially when they catch …
Growing dahlias in pots and containers can be a truly rewarding experience, allowing you to enjoy these stunning blooms even if you’re short on space. The key to success lies in understanding your dahlias’ needs and replicating as close as possible the conditions they’d enjoy in the garden. It’s not just about aesthetic appeal; dahlias …
As regular readers know, we love dahlias here at Gardening Step by Step. And that is because their vivid colours and varied shapes mean that dahlias offer tremendous rewards to gardeners and flower enthusiasts alike. However, choosing the right dahlia variety can be a challenge, given the extensive range of dahlias available. But one approach …
If you want to know how deep you plant dahlia tubers, the simple answer, in my experience, is that most dahlia tubers will grow if planted around 4 to 6 inches deep. But you do need to take account of soil conditions and temperatures. And when it comes to soil conditions and temperatures, these are …
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 …