How to grow dahlias
The paintbox colours of dahlia blooms are currently splashed across the nursery. With proper care, these delightful flowers will continue to bloom well into autumn, providing week after week of vibrant colour in your garden.
All the colours of the rainbow.
From soft ice-cream pastels to fiery hues with burgundy leaves, dahlias come in an extensive colour palette that gives you so many options to create different moods in your garden. Along with romantic pinks and purples, sunny yellows and oranges, elegant whites, and rich, deep reds, there are also captivating bicolour and multicolour varieties. Dahlias will serve as bold focal points in your beds and borders and bring life to your containers and pots.
Getting the best from your dahlias.
Planting your dahlias now and keep on top of the watering and deadheading, and they will continue to bloom until the frosts arrive. Although dahlias are not hardy, the extra effort required to lift and dry the tubers at the end of the year is well worth it. To store the tubers, shake off excess soil and place them in a tray in a cool, dry, and dark location.
In April, you can pot them up after giving them a soak to jumpstart their growth, or plant them directly in the ground in May. Keep an eye out for late frosts and provide protection with fleece if needed. To encourage fuller growth, remove the tip of any long, strong stems once they have developed five pairs of leaves.
Dahlias are hungry plants, so feed them with Vitax Q4 in spring and ensure they receive adequate watering. Mulching around the base of the plants helps retain moisture and promotes healthy growth.
We love…
Dahlia “Café au lait”
A superb variety producing strong stems of peach flushed creamy white flowers. Once established the flowers will grow to 20-25cm across. A real showy plant with great form and habit, happy in the ground or a large pot.
Common questions about dahlias.
How should I store dahlia tubers during the winter?
An old tray or crate is perfect, you don’t need to wrap them up in newspaper, simply shake off the soil and then store. It’s really important that they stay dry. You can then divide the tubers in the spring before potting up or planting out.
What type of soil do dahlias prefer?
When planting dahlias, always mix in a little rotted organic matter, old manure or old mushroom compost is perfect. This will help them produce a strong root system and also helps to open up the soil allowing moisture to soak in during the summer months. If you are planting dahlias in a pot, use a John Innes No.3 and that will keep them happy.
Should I stake my dahlias?
It depends on whether they will be exposed to winds. If in doubt, taller varieties can be supported with canes and some twine, or in the Spring place a growing support over the small plant, allowing stems to grow through it. This way the support is disguised but the plant will be trained to grow upright.
Still got questions?
We’re always happy to help. If you would like more advice on growing dahlias, contact us or pop into the nursery for a chat with one of our experts.
