First time growing Dahlias . . .

[Deereamer]

I’ve managed to grow this beauty. Not much else seems to have gone to plan this year - rubbish sweet peas, slugs have demolished my favourite hosta, I’ve a massive massive black fly problems but this just makes it worthwhile

What’s gone well in your garden so far this year?

Dahlia's have been a challenge this year for me as well. Tubers in pots were just endlessly munched by slugs and snails until I moved them up high now two have bolted and are struggling and the others are incredibly bushy but no flowers yet. Hoping they will do their thing but might not get many flowers this year. Still better than my peony tubers that just rotted away after some super heavy rain back in the spring and just never recovered.

I planted a pack of cheap wilko mixed Dahlia seeds - I planted them too early I think and they got very leggy. Only a few made it big - one has really crap tiny flowers, and there’s a few still to flower.

I quite pleased with these though

I have a penhill dark monarch that didn’t have any buds until the last minute. It has one now but it’s literally taking forever to open!

@ThursdayLastWeek that’s lovely! What a nice colour - really unusual!

I grew a packet of Bishop's Children, derived from Bishop of Llandaff. Lovely dark purpley foliage, so they look good even if not flowering, and flowers in shades of orange or red. I repotted them this year and was astonished at how huge the tubers had become (I have room in the greenhouse, so I don't bother to decant them from the pots in winter).

Wiki tells me that they were a prized vegetable by the Aztecs/Toltecs, rather like sweet potato.

Oh wow! That’s really interesting! You wouldn’t imagine for one second that they’re edible! Think I’ll stick to growing them though