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!

@Sunflowersinthewind mine are in 2 litre pots at the moment till they get started. But then I'm going to pop them on into really quite big pots - that I have other things in too. They like a lot of room.

The ones that did best for me last year were in 2 foot across pots.

Not all dahlias grow that big.

Oh wow thats large, I need to buy more pots, I am ever the optimist

Haha it appears I did actually sow some seeds last week during a huge sowing session. Dahlia large mixed pom-poms and they have just started shooting! They are in my unheated greenhouse so I hope they will be ok

I grew in pots last year and the pots were too small. I thought it would be fine as I had one tuber per pot, but really I needed the size pot that I grow a shrub in. 1.5-2 metre diameter or so.

Mine were totally fine in pots a fraction of that size and flowered for months!

Ok, so my 34cm pots will not cut the mustard will they

I grew a few in pots that size last year and they were absolutely fine. As long as they are planted in good soil and watered regularly - they get quite thirsty in summertime if it's dry!

@longtompot

Haha it appears I did actually sow some seeds last week during a huge sowing session. Dahlia large mixed pom-poms and they have just started shooting! They are in my unheated greenhouse so I hope they will be ok

Fab! We’re forecast frosts every night til Sunday though and they’re not hardy, I’d bring em in!

Dahlia watch continues… it appears that my varieties with dark foliage are appearing first. I’m very excited

As for pots, I put mine in buckets last year and they did well - I think generally Dahlias will survive much, but they might not grow as large, or have big flowers. I have v limited space so that suits me.

@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!

Umjmmm, I have 44 tubers new this year plus some that I've not fetched out of storage yet, plus the ones at my work which is another 40 odd :/

Edge of Joy and Tartan were probably the ones I most liked the look of

Can I blame you all for me buying some more???
I've ordered the cafe au lait in rose and the twynings which have white and pink petals from the farmer graceywebsite .

(Also alongside some peonies, phlox and begonias )

This year I'm growing Sylvia, Akita, Yellow Star and Karma Amora. They're all hot colours - reds, oranges and yellow.

I grow them in big 50cm pots, one tuber per pot. Had lots of flowers last year and they kept on flowering for months.

What soil do you plant in

Well, thanks to all of you and this thread I've just been forced to order 6 varieties from Farmer Gracy, who I've never heard of before. I hope you claim your commission in tubers!

@MyBottomDecides

Well, thanks to all of you and this thread I've just been forced to order 6 varieties from Farmer Gracy, who I've never heard of before. I hope you claim your commission in tubers!

Ha! If only!!

@Z1nn1a

What soil do you plant in

I just use decent quality compost. Nothing fancy.

For the spring bulbs I buy bulb fibre, but dahlias aren't too fussy about soil.

@MyBottomDecides

Well, thanks to all of you and this thread I've just been forced to order 6 varieties from Farmer Gracy, who I've never heard of before. I hope you claim your commission in tubers!

You have to tell us which varieties though...

*You have to tell us which varieties though…”

Yes, thread rules. Harsh, but fair.

This thread is a bad influence on me.

In addition to what I’ve already planted (Le Baron, Eveline, Downham Royal), I also have the following on order-
Café au Lait Rosè
Daisy Duke
Great Silence
Twyning’s Smartie

How could I forget...

Also considering a cafe au lait, but I'm much more drawn to the small vibrant ones at the moment. I grew a large pink cactus dahlia for a few years and my main recollection is mushy petals and earwigs, so maybe I'd better exercise what little constraint I have left and stick to this lovely lot

@Whadda

*You have to tell us which varieties though…”

Yes, thread rules. Harsh, but fair.

This thread is a bad influence on me.

In addition to what I’ve already planted (Le Baron, Eveline, Downham Royal), I also have the following on order-
Café au Lait Rosè
Daisy Duke
Great Silence
Twyning’s Smartie

2 the same. The cafe au lait rose and twynings smartie . Which just looked amazing I did almost go for the great silence too!! Let's hope they do well

I have an exciting update. 4 out of 5 dahlia tubers have shoots. That's less than a week from potting up!

I grew some for the first time last year, in pots, and was delighted with them. Not much of a gardener usually!

I’d like to put some straight into the ground this year. Would that work? And when should I do it?

Thanks!

@Sunflowersinthewind

I have an exciting update. 4 out of 5 dahlia tubers have shoots. That's less than a week from potting up!

Oh wonderful!

@Rainallnight

I grew some for the first time last year, in pots, and was delighted with them. Not much of a gardener usually!

I’d like to put some straight into the ground this year. Would that work? And when should I do it?

Thanks!

After you're confident frosts have passed, so realistically wait at least until May. I did this last year - tubers straight into ground/ pots when spring bulbs finished in late May. Had flowers within a few weeks (the grow fast!) and the continued until late November. Good luck! If you keep slugs and insects off them, and support them so they won't fall down, they are pretty easy to look after really. Keep deadheading every time a flower is fading and more will come!

I bought 3 packets of tubers a few weeks ago in Lidl - or somewhere equally expensive !
It's still freezing here, so I'm not going to plant them until it gets warmer