Who’s growing Dahlias this year

[Onionbhajisandwich]

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!

Forgot to add the image

I have the pink version of that @Skiphopbump your's is lovely

@daisychain01 i have a pink too, it’s much shorter than the yellow and has given me just one flower which was weeks ago.

Love those spiky blooms skiphopbump

STOP THE PRESS!!! WE'VE GOT BUDS!!!

After 2 weeks of the teenager treatment (chicken manure pellets and watering), 2 of mine have honest-to-goodness actual buds!

So the scores on the doors are:
2 plants: proper, looks like they'll bloom, buds
2 plants: possibly teensy weeny budlets, will watch and see if they mean it
2 plants: shredded to skeletons by bizarre drought-proof slugs and never caught up
1 bonus plant from a detached tuber: just green, maybe it'll bloom next year

Will post photos if they make it before the frosts!!

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

🍾or too soon?

Absolutely not! 🍾🍾🍾

This is not mine (yet!). Was at a local National Trust property at the weekend and they had a row of dahlias so I was checking the plant labels of the ones I like.
David Howard is definitely on the list for next year!

Can I have some advice about what to do next, please?

I grew dahlias this years in pots. In hindsight, I had them too cramped in the pots, but they did well. Some are still blooming, but most have died back.

For next year, I want to transfer the bulbs into flower beds. Are dahlia like daffodils and do they need to die back fully, or can I snip the leaves off once the flowers are gone, and then split and transfer the bulbs?

Really enjoying the Dahlias as they come into their own.

An assortment from my garden (and a rogue alstroemeria), they've done really well this year despite the dog and a small child's best efforts to destroy them.

@Whadda you're supposed to leave them until the first frost. You'll find that they turn black pretty much immediately after they've been frozen, then you cut off the leaves and stems.

It's too cold to leave them in the ground here, so I dig mine up, clean off the soil, leave them to dry for a couple of weeks, cut off the dangly roots and then store in the loft (or a dry shed) in vermiculite. Then take them out in spring, pot them up and leave in the greenhouse until they're big enough to go in the garden and not be eaten by the slugs!

I think in warmer parts of the country they can be left in the ground under a heavy mulch, but I've experimented and mine died.

Thank you, @whereiwanttobe

You can divide them as well @Whadda but you need to know which bit to cut so you still have some crown for each tuber. So in some ways it's easier to do when they're sprouting as they must have at least one on each division.

Attached is, I think, islander. At work this morning before I got soggier and soggier.

I have triumphantly cut the 4 blooms from my 7 plants to enjoy next to my desk. There are more buds coming but it's a race between them and the frost. Next year I need to make sure they don't get stalled by drought on my thin chalky soil - they're only just getting going now.

Loving the photos - some fabulous colour combinations from people who have done better than me!

i bought some cheapo folding crates with ventilation holes in the sides from Wilco yesterday £3 each, as I was watching a tutorial on YouTube about how to store dahlia tubers over the winter, and they recommend them as a good storage container.

You lift the tubers from the ground or out of the pots, loosening the soil around the roots, being careful not to pierce any of the fleshy parts as you'd have to throw those bits away. Shake off excess soil, hose them down and cut the stems to about 30cm from the base.

Line the crates with newspaper, put a layer of wood chippings, vermiculite or animal bedding on the bottom then lay each tuber in the crate being careful they don't touch each other, put another layer of wood chippings etc until they are covered over.

Put the lid on to stop mice being attracted to them and store them in a cool, dark place eg a cellar, garage or shed. Check them every month over the winter. If the weather gets really cold I.e. below freezing move them indoors, and keep them in a cold spare bedroom until the weather returns to above freezing,

I've cut the last of my flowers - these ones have lasted nearly 2 weeks!

Bit of a brain-wave - you can use animal bedding in your storage crates. It's about £3-£5 a large bag. Much cheaper than vermiculite.

You do need to be careful that the dry sawdust / straw products doesn't suck out all the moisture from the tubers when in storage over the months, so you need to check the crates regularly. Plus gently mist the storage medium - but not too much otherwise the reverse happens and the tubers rot. It's a fine balance. Just keeping an eye on them once a month is all that's needed to adjust the environment. It's worth it because dahlia can be quite expensive so giving them some care, keeps them going for years.

Found some more flowers! The weather in my area looks good for the next 2 weeks, mild at night, so I'm going to hold off cutting and storing them as I have lots of chunky buds which could give me a whole crop of flowers.

This pompom was one of my favourites this year. I love the colour variation. Shame the season is almost over!

This beauty has buds on as well as this lovely bloom

So beautiful!

Meant to say the above dahlia is Downham Royal

I popped a few in a vase today.
I have many buds and really hope they have a chance to bloom.

Has anyone got some that are still flowering? These were planted in August, the middle one is a whopper! I have no idea what any of them are as I bought a big mystery box.