Snazzy Dahlias

We have tentatively stepped into the world of dahlias.  Doc and I were stocking up with twine and tomato feed at a local garden centre when were attracted to some pots of vibrantly coloured dahlias.  The red and white ‘buy one get one free’ sign clinched the deal.

Up until then, all I knew about dahlias was that they are tender tubers, a traditional cut flower and grown for showing.  I also thought, mistakenly, that if the dahlia is a show flower this must mean they are difficult to grow.  However, with a little research I discover that this is not true.

Dahlias are easy to grow, low maintenance and excellent as cut flowers for the house.  They have a long flowering season, from June until the late autumn.  They are grown from tender tubers, which are similar to bulbs but ‘sausage’ shaped. They have to be lifted and stored in a frost free place for the winter which is why we shall be growing them in pots. I have read that they are hungry so the pots are fairly large and the compost is rich.  Also, the tips of the plants need to be pinched out to produces lots of vigorous growth and the maximum amount of blooms.

The latest additions to our plant family are ‘Happy Single Princess’, with single daisy-like white flowers and yellow centres, and ‘Happy Single First Love’, which is a single salmon pink, with yellow and orange centres.  (Where do these awful names originate?)  The foliage is impressive, the dark burgundy colour sets off the dazzling flowers to perfection.

We shall feed our new dahlias with a balanced feed ever two weeks, dead head them regularly and stake them to support the stems in the wind.  As soon as autumn frosts threaten the plants, I shall clean away any soil clinging to the tubers and trim the stems back to 15 cms.  Apparently, you have to stand them upside down in a cool place to dry off before packing in a tray with peat-free compost.  If I leave the crown slightly exposed I will hopefully be able to see when it leaps into action next year. 

Doc would like to have a go at propagating new tubers from the existing plants. This entails separating the sausages (!) into portions which have both roots and shoots and then growing them on separately.  However, for the time being we are happy that our new dahlias are happy.  To some people they are vulgar and gaudy, for us they just smile.