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!

[quote Onionbhajisandwich]@TheSpottedZebra here you go[/quote]
Beautiful!!

Mine are cheap ones from the supermarket. Stored them out of their pots over winter and then my chaotic life took over so not had chance to sort them out yet.

Thinking of trying them in the ground this year, nothing to lose, had a good run with these ones (learning curve for me) and splash out on named ones for next year.

I love seeing them in the garden.

Some of mine last year.

Goodness!

I think I may have unearthed a couple of Bishops Children tubers, I didn't think there would be any as the plants just got zcoffed by slugs. I put them in a pot of compost and have them in my porch, to see if anything comes of them.

@GiraffesInScarfs wow they are beautiful! I love the white ones - do you know which variety they are?

@Hedgesgalore my wilko ones were just as pretty as the expensive stuff ones last year! I had a few garden center ones as well which did brilliantly!

@garlicandsapphires I’ve never grown them from seeds - I usually follow Monty’s advice if I’m trying something new though - can’t go wrong with that I put my tubers in a pot, end of March, water once then leave either in my pretend greenhouse or on a windowsill then plant them out end of May time.

[quote Onionbhajisandwich]@GiraffesInScarfs wow they are beautiful! I love the white ones - do you know which variety they are?

@Hedgesgalore my wilko ones were just as pretty as the expensive stuff ones last year! I had a few garden center ones as well which did brilliantly!

@garlicandsapphires I’ve never grown them from seeds - I usually follow Monty’s advice if I’m trying something new though - can’t go wrong with that I put my tubers in a pot, end of March, water once then leave either in my pretend greenhouse or on a windowsill then plant them out end of May time.[/quote]
www.farmergracy.co.uk/products/dahlia-tsuki-yori-no-shisha-tubers-uk

They were my favourites last year. Huge, beautiful flowers. I have bought loads of them this year, to plant alongside lots of these:

www.farmergracy.co.uk/products/dahlia-clair-obscur-tubers-uk

Also quite a lot of the pompom ones as I think they are so cool and weird. And then some in warmer colours for another part of the garden.

Can't wait to see everyone's pics!

They are amazing as you deadhead then more and more come, for months! I am excited to plant them but am enjoying my tulips, hyacinths and daffs at the moment.

@GiraffesInScarfs they will look amazing with the Clair-obscur! I might have to order one of the white ones. I’m sure I can make room for one more on a windowsill

[quote Onionbhajisandwich]@GiraffesInScarfs they will look amazing with the Clair-obscur! I might have to order one of the white ones. I’m sure I can make room for one more on a windowsill [/quote]
Definitely go for it! I love those white, wild-looking flowers, they are so calming to have around the patio in the warmer period of the summer. I think I have maybe 12 tubers of those for this year! 😳😆

May need to buy more pots. This keeps happening: order lots of bulbs because I have lots of pots. Over-order bulbs. Buy more pots. Aaaaand repeat. 🙈

I also didn't faff about with the indoor growing. No space because of small people. I just put the tubers straight into my pots in late May when the spring flowers' leaves had died back and a month later they were spectacular.

I've bought some wilko ones and planted them outside in a pot on Sunday, too early? The packet did say from March 😬

@chipshopElvis

I've bought some wilko ones and planted them outside in a pot on Sunday, too early? The packet did say from March 😬

It depends where you are. They can't tolerate much frost at all and apparently there is some pretty cold weather coming later this week so I'd either bring them back in or protect them with lots of mulch and frost blankets and hope for the best. I wouldn't generally put them outside until May.

Thank you! I'll pop them. Inside for a bit. We are north west although the patio is quite warm probably not worth the risk!

@chipshopElvis

Thank you! I'll pop them. Inside for a bit. We are north west although the patio is quite warm probably not worth the risk!

I think given the potential forecasts for that area later this week, if you have space to bring them back in that is a good call!

I am growing them for the first time. I have some seeds which I guess I should have sown already. Any hints and tips would be gratefully received

[quote Onionbhajisandwich]@TheSpottedZebra here you go[/quote]
They are SO BEAUTIFUL!

But why are you growing all new varieties this year? Did you not want to save the tubers, or did they die? Or did you just want new?
No wonder you need a spreadsheet with 49. But it's an odd - literally - number. Ungainly. Really you need to round it up to a nice 50...

@GiraffesInScarfs

I also didn't faff about with the indoor growing. No space because of small people. I just put the tubers straight into my pots in late May when the spring flowers' leaves had died back and a month later they were spectacular.

Your ones look lovely too! You keep yours in pots? Do you buy only short varieties, or do you just manage the height? Do you feed them often?

@TheSpottedZebra these are tall ones. I had some small ones and found them a little boring so I've gone for all tall ones this year.

Last year I kept them up with stakes and string. You can put three stakes around a plant and wind string around and between them. But this year (as I have peonies as well) I bought these so once my peonies have finished flowering I'll use these for the dahlias.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B079S922SY?ref=ppxpt22mobbbprod_image

I am a novice but found them very easy plants to look after, as long as you keeps slugs off them!! And give them enougj water in summer if it is dry. This is helpful:

www.farmergracy.co.uk/blogs/farmer-gracys-blog/dahlia-days-guide-through-the-world-of-dahlias

Also my slug solutions!

www.easymulch.co.uk/slugless-organic-slug-and-snail-deterrent-2/

www.strulch.co.uk

And no, not much feed, just nice fresh compost and regular watering seemedto be enough.

@TheSpottedZebra I didn’t intend growing so many varieties. Every time I felt a bit miserable with the winter weather I cheered myself up by ordering a few new dahlias and here we are we are with way more than planned haha. I’m hoping last years will be fine - I haven’t lifted them but it’s been a fairly mild winter and our garden is sheltered. My plan this year is to pack the dahlias into a long border, with the bigger at the back in a kind of rainbow effect and then I’m going to plug any gaps with some white astilbe.

Love dahlias! Experment every year. Got a mixed box of 40 tubers from an auction a few years ago and have kept overwintering them and saved seeds from them. Did leave a couple of tubers unwrapped in my shed and they got eaten by a mouse. Also growing bishops children from seed for the first time. Have started my tubers of in pots in green house no signs of growth yet will put some in my veg garden to use for cut flowers.

@longtompot

I am growing them for the first time. I have some seeds which I guess I should have sown already. Any hints and tips would be gratefully received

Sow them ASAP and they should be fine! Put the seed tray on a heated mat or a windowsill above a radiator. They’ll take a week or so to come up. Monty did dahlias from seed on GW last year so you could find that episode perhaps? Good luck!!

@chipshopElvis

I've bought some wilko ones and planted them outside in a pot on Sunday, too early? The packet did say from March 😬

I did the same just got excited at the prospect!! Only planted 3 from the wilkos packet so think I'll have to wait and get some more and be patient for a while!!

@Cactuslover88

Ahh blooming love dahlias! This year I’ve tried to be good and only bought 2 new varieties: Thomas A Edison (after seeing it at RHS Wisley) & Crème de Cassis.

To add to the collection of:
Wine eyed Jill
Arabian Night
Salmon Runner
Jowey Winnie
Cafe au lait
Gabrielle
And a couple of random ones from Sarah Raven which were completely not what I ordered and don’t match to the names I have for them when I google it… safe to say I won’t be ordering from there again. I like Farmer Gracy and Swan Cottage Flowers for tubers. Going to be brave and attempt to propagate from cuttings this year after seeing on gardeners world that the flowers are more vibrant if grown from cuttings rather than tubers!

I’ve had Thomas Eddison in the garden for eight or nine years , I leave it alone and it gets bigger every year.

There are some great tutorials online about how to divide and store tubers are well.

thefloweringfarmhouse.com/2021/01/11/5-steps-to-divide-and-store-dahlia-tubers/

If people are growing in pots this year, how big a pot for one tuber please?