18 AMATEUR GARDENING 6 JULY 2019

Forget about growing dahlias just as a cut flower, says Tamsin Westhorpe, as she

suggests combining them with other perennials to create a late-summer display

I

HAVE a soft spot in my heart for

dahlias. My late grandmother grew

a row of them in her vegetable

patch. In mid-to-late summer, there

was always one huge dahlia bloom

displayed in a glass vase that was placed

in the centre of the dining-room table.

For years, these plants have been

traditionally grown in rows for picking,

but it’s time to make them feel at home

in our borders and mix them with other

later summer-flowering perennials. As

our gardens get smaller, few of us have

the space for a dedicated row of dahlias,

but there’s no need to miss out on these

reliable flowers.

Lifting dahlias

Many gardeners are put off growing

dahlias because in some gardens they

need to be lifted in autumn, stored and

replanted in May. However, don’t let this

stop you from enjoying their exceptional

blooms. If you can’t stand the thought

of lifting them, leave them in the garden

and see what happens – you might be

surprised. In my garden, I lift them some

years and in others I don’t get round to it.

When lifted, they are stored in the

cellar under the house, which remains

at a very handy 6°C all year. If left in the

ground, I tend to lose them if it’s a wet

winter. In recent years, I’ve been taking

note of how dahlias are used to best

effect in gardens, and this has made

me even more convinced that they

are worthy border plants. With so many

dahlias on offer, you can always find

one that will match a colour scheme and

melt into a border seamlessly. You’ll also

find dahlias that will pop with explosive

colours if your planting is more daring.

It’s not unusual for dahlias to be

planted in among tropical plants.

For single flowers and powerful colour,

I adore the pink and yellow Happy Single

Flame (‘Hs Flame’) planted against the

foliage of cannas. Another reliable

firecracker for a tropical look is

Dahlia ‘David Howard’.

Dahlias are also dramatic when

planted with ornamental grasses.

Last year I visited a National Garden

Scheme garden and spotted D. ‘Karma

Choc’ with the grass Phalaris ‘Arctic

Sun’. The dark foliage of the dahlia

against the golden yellow foliage was

exquisite. It would look equally as

Don’t miss out on dahlias – try planting

them in a mixed border with other

late-fl owering summer perennials

with Tamsin Westhorpe

Bright-orange dahlias will

pack a punch in the border

All photography Alamy

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