3 minute read
Dahlias by a rookie gardener
Growing Dahlias
@gardening.with.cara
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I’ve only been in my garden for one full year and as a newbie gardener I wanted instant colour and drama for my first Summer. I had watched an episode of one of the many gardening shows and saw someone with dahlias in their garden and immediately I knew I had to have some. Knowing absolutely nothing about them I spent the next weeks furiously googling how to grow them and proceeded to order about 10 different varieties of dahlia from small to dinner plate size!
Starting them off
I had to do a lot of googling and watching videos on what to do next. When the alienlooking tubers arrived in March I quickly found the best method to starting them off. Planting them in 3L pots of compost and giving them a little water. I watched those pots like a hawk! I was absolutely delighted when most of them woke up.
Planting out
When the time came for planting the out, I soon realised I didn’t have enough space in my newly dug raised bed for all the dahlias, so pots came in handy! Once they were all planted out in the beds and pots, I kept up watering and feeding them with a liquid feed and lo and behold I got my first flower in late July!
Staking system
I have to say the drought we had, and the heatwaves did cause me some issues and the plants did suffer a little bit. I also didn’t stake them properly so when the winds were strong some of them flopped over. This year I plan to put a proper staking system in place as soon as I plant them out to avoid them being blown over and snapping.
Give them a try!
You can put the smaller varieties like ‘Bishops Children’ in pots, they have gorgeous dark coloured foliage with bright flowers in yellows, reds, oranges, and pinks. The dinner plate varieties are such showstoppers and look amazing in vases around the house. I would highly recommend giving them a try!
Colours of plenty
I’m so excited for this year’s flowers and I’m hoping I can defeat the slugs who love munching on them. I really have become obsessed with Dahlias and still have so much to learn. They come in so many colours, shapes, and sizes.
