Has anyone planted out their dahlias?

[Maggiethecat]

I started mine off in pots, some are about a foot tall and itching to get them out.
With all this good weather has anyone taken the plunge?

Yes me! (I am very southerly though)

I had been hardening them off for a little
while and some of them had flower buds so I thought I’d better get them in position :)

I’ve put out the larger ones - some are way behind and still just little shoots so they are staying in the greenhouse for now

Oh yes!

ive started mine off in pots, but no growth yet, so I’m going to be waiting a while before I can plant out. I’m just hoping they’ll do something soon!

I’m in Edinburgh but we’re having good weather too and night temps decent.
Have left them outside until late evening a few times but not overnight. Really just want them to be out now.

I keep mine in pots because my garden is chalk which means the soil is dry and thin despite mulching not to mention usually plenty of slugs (although I haven't seen any for months this time round). It means potting on as the plant gets bigger but it's the best solution if I want dahlias in my garden. And yes they've been out of the greenhouse for a few weeks now here in the sunny Southeast.

Mine are all in pots and doing really well. I did dig one out of the garden a couple of days ago as I thought the slugs would get it.

I'm deep south coast so I think they will be ok in pots, weather still looking pretty good so would be surprised if it got really cold now. ☝

Ah @Maggiethecat, I am in Cornwall so I don’t think we’ll ever garden to the same schedule!

Mine are also all in pots because I only have patio space, that is v sheltered and south facing. It’s dahlia heaven

I meant to today but time ran away, definitely tomorrow! 🤞
I’m using strulch this year to try and deter the slugs.

I experimented this year - left half out in their pots and dug half up. They are all out now and doing pretty well (have just pinched back the ones that were put all year). But these are all in a very sheltered London garden.

Yes most are out now in the North West, some of the smaller ones are still in the greenhouse.

I'm very tempted, but we're away over half term and it looks like it's going to rain, so I fear the slugs will decimate them if I'm not around for 10pm slug watch every night.

I might do some in pots on the patio this week, and leave the garden ones until we're back. If we weren't going away I would definitely plant out now though.

This is the thread I need. Newbie gardener that wants dahlias, obviously too late this year but what's the secret?

I’m in Manchester and mine have been out overnight in pots for nearly a month now! I only have a mini greenhouse and I’m trying to plant up nearly a full garden this year so I’ve had to be quite ruthless with heartening off!

A few got nibbled by slugs so I’ve put eggshells round them and I’m going to put off putting them in the soil a little longer. I lost quite a few to slug attacks last year so I’m being cautious.

I'm still waiting for impatiently for mine to do anything!

Right! I’ve put 5 out of 14 out in the ground.
Have just boiled garlic to spray on them to keep the vampires away!

I have a large dahlia bed and usually dig all the tubers up for winter. Last autumn, I decided to be brave (foolhardy!) and left them in the ground, covered in mulch. The experiment has been a great success, they are (in part ) very advanced, beyond the threat of slugs. Others are peeking out. I think I’ve been far too precious over the years with them. Rural Ireland, quite far south but in the hills.

My new ones were planted direct last month and doing well in the garden. They are a bit behind the ones I saw in the garden centre today, but not by much.

I also tend to leave my old ones in overwinter- mostly successfully

Welcome!

News Flash - it isn't too late to get hold of some dahlia tubers (online or garden centre) and plant them. They'll soon be sprouting this weather. They are hungry when they're flowering, so make sure you include lots of rotted matter, eg compost and leaf mould if possible, plus plant food like Tomorite is ideal.

Keep them well watered this weather.

By now you'll probably be able to plant them straight in the ground rather than bringing them on indoors.

Stake them up before they're about 2-3 foot high as they get top heavy.

I'm planting out my dahlia today. I have a section of border that is ideal for them, a bit protected and dappled shade from a tree which keeps them from harsh sunshine, as it's a west facing part of the garden and gets very hot in good weather,

Out in pots, we are in Scotland.
Which was warmer than London yesterday.

My dahlias are in the ground!

Mine are in pots, 4 from last year that I put in the shed overwinter.
10 new bare root tubers this year, 9 have sprouted.
6 new small plants.

They have all been outside, in pots, for at least a month (the new plants) and slightly longer for last year's and the new bare roots.

The new small plants are now flowering.

(Cambridgeshire).

Near Manchester and planted mine out several weeks ago in pots and raised beds. Planted one yesterday that I'd overlooked. They're all growing very well. We've not had a drop of rain for weeks so I've had no problem with slugs. Even Carl, my daughter's hosta, has sustained very little damage. Last year I was bringing them in at night (and picking slugs off), perching them on the wheelie bins or covering them with 2ltr plastic bottles with the bases cut off. I'm hoping if the weather changes they'll be big and tough enough to cope by now. No sign of any buds yet.

I leave mine out all year round, in containers and raised beds. Same thing with begonias. Every 5 years or so we get a colder than normal winter and half of them vanish, but it's worth it to avoid the faff of digging them up and having to store and then replant them.

The only things I bother lifting are ranunculus because the winter weather in South Wales is too wet for them. I lay them on a shelf in the greenhouse and then forget about them until mid March when I shove them back into the ground and they all magically regenerate and turn from shrivelled dead sticky bits to loads of healthy looking leaves, followed by amazing flowers.