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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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Original poster

Any other dahlia fans out there?

40 replies

whataboutbob · 02/01/2019 17:44

I’m rebuilding my dahlia patch, have removed some poor performers and want to add in a bright pink one. Preferably s ball dahlia, but cactus would be good too. Any recommendations? Thank you.

OP posts:

ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 13:45

Aaaah I'm posting because no one else has and I LOVE the look of them but they don't do well in my garden and they're quite a bit of work.

ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 13:46

Do you take yours in every winter?

Kemer2018 · 05/01/2019 14:00

I love them. They were in my garden when i moved in. I learned that you're meant to lift, dry and brush the stem ends with sulphur powder or something.
I did that but somehow or other they rooted and grew mould so i had to bin them.
I love red "bishop of llandaf".

Original poster

whataboutbob · 05/01/2019 17:10

Bless you @ppeatfruit for re starting this.
I’ve gotten away with covering mine in about 8 inches of straw and horse manure ( they’re on my allotment) and they survive the winter. The trick is to start them off in a pot indoors in March and plant out after all risk of frost is over ( in London, generally mid May). Protect from slugs when they are small then after that they look after themselves. Give a feed once or twice over the summer.

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ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 17:26

Aaaah thanks whatabout I've never been blessed on line

I might try them again. My experience was that my neighbour gave me some corms and I didn't know what to do with them, most of them were soft. One came up in a pot the rest didn't appear at all in the garden(I do have a very chalky soil). Though Monty Don was informative and I think I'll but some from a G.C. next time.

ppeatfruit · 05/01/2019 17:27

I'll 'buy' some (silly me).

Original poster

whataboutbob · 05/01/2019 17:39

Soft corms should be chucked out. Bury them a good 10cm deep, backfill and then cover in straw/ manure. When I dug mine out last autumn to divide and give some away they were hard and “ crunchy”.

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Original poster

whataboutbob · 05/01/2019 17:40

I have ordered from Sarah raven and they are good quality, only 1 failed to show. I have also ordered from Waitrose garden and it was dead as a door nail .

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MissMarplesKnitting · 05/01/2019 17:42

This thread has reminded me I forgot to dig mine up in autumn. Aaarghh 🙈

Original poster

whataboutbob · 05/01/2019 17:44

If you're in the south it's not too late to cover in straw/ manure.

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PostNotInHaste · 05/01/2019 19:33

I love them but am very lazy so kill them over winter. Mine are only just starting to blacken with the frost. I like the Sarah Raven Venetian collection colours.

ppeatfruit · 06/01/2019 10:20

The problem is that I'm away a lot (we live between Fr. and Eng.) I've already put my normal bulbs in. Is it best to put dahlias in for autumn in the summer or spring?

Original poster

whataboutbob · 06/01/2019 12:39

I think they are always put out in spring. Not sure it would work if you put them in summer. They want to get going around March time.

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ppeatfruit · 06/01/2019 21:18

Thanks for that what I'll try that.

PostNotInHaste · 10/01/2019 16:32

Just covered mine with layer of dried leaves and some manure on top. Hope they will survive.

Original poster

whataboutbob · 10/01/2019 21:28

They have a good chance. Sounds like the weather is set to get colder towards the end of the month, but 75% of mine survived the beast from the east .

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PostNotInHaste · 11/01/2019 06:44

Thanks, fingers crossed then !

Taffeta · 11/01/2019 06:53

I also manage to kill them in the ground so keep in pots

I scour the Sarah Raven catalogue looking at the beautiful beasts and then buy them from Peter Nyssen usually for half the price

Have just bought shedloads! Added some Cafe au Lait as they were amaaazing last year

BobbyBanana · 11/01/2019 07:08

I have about 30 which I've lifted. Brushed and treated with sulphur powder (which the garden centre told me they weren't allowed to tell me was the right stuff for protecting tubers, but...nudge nudge wink wink).

I don't have a frost free shed to keep them in - learned my lesson last year when they were in a shipping container and all rotted because it was too cold.

So they are in pots in new compost in a 'garden room' which is like a greenhouse but with 1 glass wall and a glass ceiling, the rest being brick walls.

I'm slightly confused because I feel like basically I've potted them up for next year rather than giving them a rest in a darkened room. However it IS dark under the soil so what's the difference?

I did this last year too and they all grew but they were not the massive shows of blooms that we were hoping for.

Any tips?

Original poster

whataboutbob · 11/01/2019 11:59

Sorry I've never over wintered in pots, only in soil. What you have done sounds all right though.

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ppeatfruit · 11/01/2019 12:39

Sorry to confuse things a bit more, but are they like hyacinths? Do they need their leaves to die down before storing them? I have success doing this with them. I keep them in dry compost\soil in an outdoor room.

Original poster

whataboutbob · 11/01/2019 13:01

Usually I cut them back after the first frost's have got them, to about two inches about ground level. Then cover with 10-20,cm of manure. If you are doing pots then I'd just cut the stems right down and cover the river in soil.

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Original poster

whataboutbob · 11/01/2019 13:02

" the tuber"!

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SurfnTerfFantasticmissfoxy · 11/01/2019 15:38

I love them but can't do with the hassle of digging up and replanting each season so going to try them in my very deep raised beds under a good straw mulch this year (I'll start them in pots in April and plant out once sprouted, then leave in situ) I've ordered from Sarah Raven before but I've discovered Fam Flower Farm which is great and a fraction of the price.

CasparMum · 12/01/2019 12:59

My Grandad used to grow dahlias for showing in the NW. I love them, but they don’t grow in my garden (not enough sun). Going to go and drool over the Sarah Raven catalogue thoug.

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