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
One of the great advantages of dahlias is that if you keep deadheading them, they will continue to flower right into the fall/autumn. However, dahlias are only borderline hardy which means that the flowers and foliage will be cut back by the first frosts. So, at this point in the year you have to decide …
Dahlia Wizard of Oz is a pompon dahlia (read more about the different types of dahlias here), with a beautiful delicate pearly pink colouring. As a pompon, it has a fairly small double flower head (2-3 inches across), in a round, or globular, shape and its petals (technically its ray florets) are tubular or rounded …
It is that wonderful time of year when the dahlias are really getting into their stride. And, if we keep up with the deadheading, we can have their company until late into the autumn – unless of course they get battered down by storms, like some have this week. I have to be honest when …
Images of the Different Dahlia Varieties If you are interested in growing dahlias, for your garden or for cut flowers, it is not always easy to understand all the different dahlia varieties that are available. This is not surprising since there are about 30 dahlias species and 20,000 different dahlia cultivars. This amount of variety …
Dahlia pinnata plant notes Family Dahlia pinnata is in the Asteraceae (or Daisy) family. Plant Type Tuberous, herbaceous perennial, with pinnate leaves, striking flowers. Soil Type Prefers moist but well drained soil. read more on soil type here → Aspect Plant in full sun. Eventual Size Varies according to cultivar. Typically between 70 to 120 …
