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

Original poster

Who’s growing Dahlias this year

490 replies

Onionbhajisandwich · 26/03/2022 20:40

What varieties are you growing this year? I’ve got some Babylon Bronze and Kelvin Floodlight (among quite a few others) that I’m really looking forward to growing this year!

OP posts:
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119
longtompot · 05/07/2022 10:27

Pandabuggle · 04/07/2022 19:03

I've been trying to grow both dahlia and zinnia from seed, but every single one has been obliterated by snails!

Any tips for next year?!

My tip above really is working, so far, so I would recommend that. I have also bought some slug barrier pellets which don't harm them but stop them trying to get to the plants. You can then dig them into the soil after as a soil improver. Green Fingers make one but the one I bought wasn't by them, just what b&q had. One warning, my dog loved the smell and ate some. However, within an hour her tummy didn't like them and she had a bit of an upset tummy for a short while. She's not touched them since so maybe there are some brain cells in there😉

Galliano · 05/07/2022 14:06

I started my dahlias off in the greenhouse and moved them to big pots outside in late May. I put a thick of strulch in every pot and so far everything has survived virtually unscathed. I just ordered 2 bags from a seller on Amazon which was about £20 but happy enough that I’ll probably order in bulk next spring.

Whadda · 08/07/2022 18:10

I completely forgot to mark what went where, so here are my random dahlia!

Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Whadda · 08/07/2022 18:11

And some more starting to emerge.

Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Bunnycat101 · 08/07/2022 19:27

Mine are really slow this year. Not sure if they are struggling a bit with the dry weather but they seem really short this year. For the last few years cosmos have been amazing but they’re not doing very well in my garden yet either.

Harrysmummy246 · 08/07/2022 21:20

I've also got Evanah in flower now. All the dahlias I moved to prevent nibbling onto the pots on the gravel are growing away beautifully. So need to pot up the rest now :)

Work ones are growing well and have some buds forming

longtompot · 09/07/2022 13:55

My experiment sadly has not worked. My dahlias were covered in snails and slugs last night. I thought they were looking a bit forlorn but thought maybe it was a leafminer bee or something similar but sadly not :( I will try the barrier pellets and see if they work. They seem to be leaving my carrot and bean seedlings alone so fingers crossed

IcakethereforeIam · 09/07/2022 17:05

First flower of the year, the pot kept blowing over so the stem has grown a bit curly. Dahlia Natal, unless I got my labels mixed up. I absolute love it. Please ignore the hosepipe.

Who’s growing Dahlias this year
ChristopherTracy · 09/07/2022 20:12

original dahlia now in flower (possibly a bishop of some sort) and taller then ever. The new cafe au lait look like a week or two yet.

daisychain01 · 10/07/2022 03:32

I haven't a clue what mine are called - I bought a few bags of dahlia tubers in November and stashed them away in the garage until I unearthed them in April and thought I'd better get them planted up! I'm hoping they don't get eaten by slugs now I've seen all the comments on here....

Will be able to add some photos in about a week or so, as some of them are in bud now which is exciting as it's the first time I've ever grown them from tubers.

WarOnSlugs · 10/07/2022 16:38

Lovely to see all of these flowers! I started mine late, after the spring bulbs had finished. But some are getting large now and many buds appearing so will have photos to share soon!

WobblyLondoner · 10/07/2022 16:41

My only dahlias but I do have a lot of them! Purple gem.

Who’s growing Dahlias this year
WarOnSlugs · 10/07/2022 16:48

WobblyLondoner · 10/07/2022 16:41

My only dahlias but I do have a lot of them! Purple gem.

Beautiful!

Dbop100 · 13/07/2022 21:15

Hello! This was my strongest dahlia last year, it's come back really short and stumpy and the ends look almost burnt. I've been watering it every day, is it just dry? Could something else be at play? All suggestions are so appreciated!

Who’s growing Dahlias this year
IcakethereforeIam · 13/07/2022 21:26

I had something like this last year with a dahlia I'd repotted because slugs had reduced it to a stick. When it grew back the first flush of leaves were all crinkled, looked similar to your picture. The only suggestion on the Internet was the compost was contaminated with weedkiller

It's plausible because I think a lot of the big brands are made from recycled garden waste. My dahlia was clearly a survivor though, because it got through this. The next flush of leaves were fine and I got a few flowers.

If there another, better, explanation I'd love to hear it.

WarOnSlugs · 13/07/2022 23:16

Dbop100 · 13/07/2022 21:15

Hello! This was my strongest dahlia last year, it's come back really short and stumpy and the ends look almost burnt. I've been watering it every day, is it just dry? Could something else be at play? All suggestions are so appreciated!

Have you checked for pests like blackfly?

SirVixofVixHall · 14/07/2022 12:10

IcakethereforeIam · 13/07/2022 21:26

I had something like this last year with a dahlia I'd repotted because slugs had reduced it to a stick. When it grew back the first flush of leaves were all crinkled, looked similar to your picture. The only suggestion on the Internet was the compost was contaminated with weedkiller

It's plausible because I think a lot of the big brands are made from recycled garden waste. My dahlia was clearly a survivor though, because it got through this. The next flush of leaves were fine and I got a few flowers.

If there another, better, explanation I'd love to hear it.

Interesting as some of my potted Dahlia also look like this.

Weefreetiffany · 16/07/2022 12:06

hello everyone- I wanted to share a picture of my dahlias as it’s the first time I’ve tried growing them and I’m quite proud!

they are Akita dahlias, but a bit more yellow and tawny than the pictures on farmer Gracie, still quite pretty and very big! Could it be the soil ph that’s responsible for the amount of red colour?

Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Maggiethecat · 16/07/2022 12:48

@Weefreetiffany - those are beautiful! well done to you.

IcakethereforeIam · 16/07/2022 13:23

My Akita broke off at the soil surface. It's sprouting again but I'm doubtful I'll get any blooms. @Weefreetiffany yours are lovely.

SheeplessAndCounting · 17/07/2022 15:11

Very first blooms appearing here!

Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Who’s growing Dahlias this year
Dbop100 · 18/07/2022 17:32

IcakethereforeIam · 13/07/2022 21:26

I had something like this last year with a dahlia I'd repotted because slugs had reduced it to a stick. When it grew back the first flush of leaves were all crinkled, looked similar to your picture. The only suggestion on the Internet was the compost was contaminated with weedkiller

It's plausible because I think a lot of the big brands are made from recycled garden waste. My dahlia was clearly a survivor though, because it got through this. The next flush of leaves were fine and I got a few flowers.

If there another, better, explanation I'd love to hear it.

Sorry for the delayed reply - thank you this is very interesting! I used Miracle Grow Peat Free compost for the first time in these pots so maybe it's that?!

Would a complete change of soil be the answer?

IcakethereforeIam · 18/07/2022 18:16

I'm not at all sure the advice I found is correct, I was hoping to get some feed back from someone more knowledgeable who'd confirm or tell me it was something else. I've grown four more dahlias this year in supermarket compost and three have been fine. No.4 broke off (possibly due to the wind) but is growing back. Last year's was a bit delayed but its foliage seems healthy. Whatever caused last years problem, the plant seemed to get over it and I did get some blooms. How is yours looking now?

I did unearth the tubers at the end of the growing season, but I planted it in March in fresh supermarket compost (I can't remember the brand).

I admit I'm now dubious about Miracle Grow, Levington and the like. I've got a compost bin now so next year I think I'll use homemade, at least for the dahlias.

daisychain01 · 18/07/2022 20:15

I'm growing my dahlias in Westland Jacks Magic compost @IcakethereforeIam They got lovely thick buds on them and I expect if I give them sufficient water over the coming days of the heatwave, they'll flower by the weekend. It seems to have taken ages for the to flower!

westland is a really good quality compost, always stays moist and rich. I haven't been able to use my homemade compost and leaf mould yet as it's been so dry, unless I chuck gallons of water over the compost heap, which I'm reluctant to do. It has been a very dry year since February Sad

daisychain01 · 18/07/2022 20:16

Sorry lots of typos, I'm sitting in the garden cooling down and I'm having to touch type not very well!