Make a Garden
Grow dahlias for a garden filled with colourful bursts from late summer to fall. Choose from a wide variety of vibrant blooms in different forms. They thrive in beds, borders, or containers. Enjoy them as stunning cut flowers that keep blooming when regularly trimmed.
Easily sow dahlia seeds by filling a pot or seed tray with moist compost, gently pushing the seeds in and labelling them. Cover with a clear polythene bag or propagator lid. Transplant the seedlings into individual pots once the 'true' leaves appear, using peat-free compost. Harden off the plants in mid-May and plant them in their final positions after the risk of frost has passed. Save some flowers for seed collection in September, and sow them in February for a beautiful mixture of colours and shapes.
Harden off the plants in mid-May.
Protection: Tie together as they grow to ensure the stems don't snap off. Position: Dahlias prefer full sun to flourish and bloom. Watering: Water regularly during the warmer months and as the plant goes to flower.
In April, you can put your tubers in a shallow tray, lightly covered with compost, for potting up.
Stake in your Dahlias, tying them together to protect them as they grow tall.
Keep cutting the flowers as they bloom to encourage more and more.
Lift, clean and store your tubers in a cool dry location to avoid them rotting over winter.
Dahlias may be strong, but they're not immune to pests and diseases. Figuring out what's wrong can be tricky. Keeping your dahlias healthy is key because they'll be more resistant. Slugs, snails, earwigs, plant bugs, leafhoppers, thrips, and spider mites are common troublemakers. Don't worry, though! You can control them by tidying up and using natural repellents. Fungal diseases like powdery mildew, botrytis, and verticillium wilt can harm or kill your plants. Bacterial diseases like stem rot and leafy gall are tough to treat, and viral diseases have no cure. If you spot any trouble, remove infected plants pronto. Just remember, correctly identifying the problem is essential for finding the right solution.
