Dahlias

Dahlias are one of the stars of the summer garden.

AT A GLANCE 

• Prefer a warm, sunny site. 
• Prepare soil with compost and all purpose fertiliser before planting. 
• Taller varieties need staking. 

Description 

Dahlias are perennials which grow from a tuber. 

They emerge in mid to late spring and flower right through summer and autumn. 

They come in a range of heights, flower colour and size, flower form and foliage colour. 

• Anemone type e.g. Lifestyle, Bon Odori 
• Ball type e.g. Jowey Mirella, Jowey Joshua 
• Cactus e.g. Apache Blue, My Love 
• Collarette Esther, Impression Festivo 
• Decorative e.g. Catching Fire, Mediterannee, Offshore Dream 
• Dinner Plate e.g. Café au Lait, X-Factor, Bristol Stripe 
• Pom Pom e.g. Little William, Viking 
• Fubuki e.g. Fuzzy Wuzzy, Myama 
• Gallery e.g. Rembrant, Pablo 

Many new smaller hybrid forms are now available, suitable for pot culture. 

Bedding dahlias can be grown from seed or by purchasing young seedlings. 

Requirements 

Dahlias prefer to grow in warm, sunny , frost free positions in the garden. Plant tuber on an angle which allows excess water to drain off avoiding root rot. 

They respond well to feeding so a soil with added Tui Compost and a dressing of a well-balanced fertiliser or Tui Novatec – fertiliser is best applied two weeks before planting for best results. Mushroom compost is too strong for dahlias so best avoided. 

Stake firmly before planting which help you identify where they are. Staking after planting can damage roots and tuber 

Tubers can be left in the ground over winter but if soil is heavy and inclined to be wet they are best lifted and stored over winter and re-planted in the spring time. 

Where to Use 

Dahlias are perfect for brightening up borders and garden beds. 

Add them to gardens where you are growing flowers for picking. 

New hybrids and varieties which have become available over recent years tend to be smaller growing so are well suited to the front of borders and in pots and containers. 

Bedding Dahlias are excellent for pots and baskets, as well as making a bright show in the flower bed. 

For exhibition blooms, disbudding to leave only one or two buds will produce larger flowers. 

Regular dead-heading will prolong flowering right through to mid to late autumn. 

When to Plant 

Plant tubers in early spring, right through to early summer. 

Bedding types are available from spring through to summer. 

Named varieties of mature tubers are available from late September-October, these are often in bud so allows you to select colours.