Amateur Gardening – 10 July 2019

A

nyone who thought the
dahlia trend was just a flash
in the pan was wrong – very
wrong. Five years after they
were deemed to be ‘back’, they are still
going strong – and with good reason.
Dahlias provide wow factor, summer-
long displays and superb value for
money. Unlike most other bedding
plants, you can keep the tubers going
for years – a gardener friend of mine
grows dahlias that have been passed
down for several generations, and her
tubers are the size of the kitchen sink.
If you missed the planting window for
tubers, you can buy dahlias from garden
centres now, just coming into flower, and
get them in the ground or in pots right
away. Granted, this is more expensive,
but on the plus side you’ll have instant
colour that will keep your garden looking

great until autumn. And by planting them

out with a foot of growth already, you’ll

reduce the chance of slug attack.

There’s an awesome range of colours

and flower shapes to choose from, but

unless you plan to enter dahlia shows

you really don’t need to understand the

different categories. Just bear in mind

that single blooms are the types to go

for if you want to attract bees.

Size matters

When choosing what to buy, probably

the most important factor to consider is

size, so check plant labels for eventual

height. At 12ft (3½m) tall, the tree dahlia

(Dahlia imperialis) will be a talking point

with the neighbours, but 3-5ft (90cm-

1.5m) dahlias are more realistic options

for the average garden. As a general

rule, any dahlias over 3ft (1m) high will

need staking, so if you don’t want to

bother, go for dwarf types that will only

grow to knee height; these are great

in pots and at the front of borders.

Also consider whether you have

somewhere frost-free where you can

store your tubers once the flowers have

gone over – a garage or shed is ideal.

Hailing from Mexico, dahlias are frost-

tender plants that will not tolerate a

Beast from the east or the sodden,

cold soil of a classic UK winter.

During the growing season, the

secret to success with these flamboyant

beauties is to nurture them. Give them a

high-potash liquid feed (Tomorite) once

a week from now until the end of the

season and they’ll reward you with big,

healthy blooms. Also, the more you pick

them (they make excellent cut flowers),

the more flowers they will produce.

The sheer variety of dahlias is key

to their appeal, with flowers in all

manner of colours and shapes. To

attract bees, opt for single flowers

and collarettes like ‘Mary Eveline’

28 AmAteur GArDeNING 6 JULY 2019

Forgot to plant dahlia tubers in spring, or simply want to squeeze in a few more? Invest

in ready-grown specimens and you’ll have instant colour for months, says Sally Charrett

Add wow factor with

Garden-ready dahlias