Dahlias are delightful - they’re also dangerously addictive - hence my restraint when buying new tubers at the beginning of this year.
I reasoned that I should reduce my numbers, having lost all of the previous year’s tubers to some unkind winter conditions, and also because life had been very busy and stressful in the previous 12 months. I was wary of overstretching myself in many ways, including the garden, and didn’t want to commit to looking after dozens of dahlia tubers which could end up neglected if I became overwhelmed with work and family life. And anyway, I figured I can increase their numbers if I wish by taking cuttings and splitting tubers, a process I enjoy.
So, I duly purchased 10 or 12 single tubers (if I’m honest I can’t quite remember how many, I’ve been very lax with record keeping and labelling this year!) I also bought a couple of packets of dahlia seeds. They’re very easy to grow from seed, so I decided I could still have lots of dahlias, but these would be much cheaper (eg £3 per packet of 25 seeds vs £3 per tuber). This element of the strategy was not properly thought through either - as 25 seedlings arguably need even more attention than 25 tubers, requiring regular watering, pricking out, potting on, pinching out, potting on again… not to mention robust slug protection as they’re considerably smaller and weaker than an established tuber.
However, I don’t regret growing quite a few from seed (I never regret sowing seeds!) and they’re now flowering where they’ve been planted out, in my raised beds in the back garden allotment. I bought ‘Bishop’s Children’ and I also had a packet of seeds from Chiltern which were mixed varieties - a lucky dip, if you will. I’m still waiting to see if I can identify any of these ones.
The tubers I did buy are also - finally - flowering well after a very slow start. I don’t think I’m alone in having late dahlias this year, but I was beginning to fear they’d go the way of my tomatoes, which have produced a decent crop, but with just one single ripe fruit among them. (I ate the sad, singular tomato today for my lunch - it was delicious.)
They’re doing so well, in fact, that I’m regretting not getting more at the outset of the season - or for snapping up more of the bargains which usually pop up during the spring, when retailers are trying to offload any remaining tubers.
Why would I not want more of this gorgeousness in my garden…??
If you haven’t yet tried growing dahlias I do urge you to give them a go. They’re one of my favourite flowers because a little initial effort can reward you with beautiful blooms from mid-summer until the first frosts.
Dahlias are one of the best perennials for providing reliable colour, form and often the wow factor. Their flowers come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colours to suit all kinds of gardens. Don’t be put off by the relatively small amount of additional care and attention they need - the extra effort is worth it for a plant which provides plenty of bang for your buck, with beautiful flowers from early summer until mid-autumn.
Dahlias range from tiny, neat pompoms to huge, blousy dinnerplates, and everything in between. They can be planted alone or as part of a mixed border and the more compact varieties are perfect for containers.
Some of the most popular dahlias include the dark and dramatic ‘Karma Choc’, the classic scarlet ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ and the single white ‘Twyning’s After Eight’, which has almost-black foliage. My own favourites include the frilly, coral-coloured ‘Totally Tangerine’, ‘Honka Fragile’ which has a really unusual shape, with long delicate petals, and ‘Wine-eyed Jill’, which is pink with a hint of yellow at the centre.
Although dahlias were once considered old-fashioned, they’re now pictured all over social media each summer, with various flowers trending among florists and amateur growers alike, such as the ever-popular ‘Café au Lait’, a large decorative dahlia in a beautiful soft blush colour.
I start the tubers off each year in my greenhouse in large pots, keeping a close eye out for overnight frost - they sometimes need protection with horticultural fleece, as very low temperatures will damage their foliage. Once they have some good leafy growth, and all risk of frost has passed I harden them off ready to be planted out into containers or into my dahlia bed. They like warm and sunny positions and rich, well-drained soil; as they grow I also feed them regularly with an all-purpose plant food or seaweed mixture to help with flower production.
It’s true that dahlias are not quite as simple and straightforward as many other plants - they need a fair bit of space and the taller varieties require staking to give them support. You may also begin a lifelong battle with the slugs and snails in your garden, which can damage tubers under the ground and especially love to feast on the young shoots as they emerge. All is not lost, however, as there are a number of ways to deter molluscs or reduce their numbers, including organic slug pellets, copper tape, beer traps, wool pellets and nematodes. This year I tried a new product - Slug Stoppa - and found it to be apparently quite effective at keeping the young plants nibble-free.
At the other end of the season, when they’ve been hit by the first really cold night and a ‘killing frost’ they can be cut down and the tubers are either left in the ground and mulched for protection, or lifted. I nearly always lift the tubers as I’ve not had much success up in the chilly East of Scotland with overwintering under ground. Last winter I kept mine in the greenhouse, insulated inside some trays of wood shavings and underneath a thick blanket of horticultural fleece and discovered that this was quite an effective method, with very little damage to the tubers I stored this way, so I’ll be trying it again this year.
Whether you’ve never grown dahlias, or you’re intrigued by their renewed popularity, I’d really encourage you to consider them for your garden or plot, as there’s a dahlia to please everyone. They come in all colours, they’re good value, and the single flowering varieties are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. Just don’t blame me if you find yourself as addicted as I am…
A version of this article appeared in The People’s Friend, May 2024