Plant of the Month

Dahlia

Dahlias

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With a wide choice of flower shapes and colours, dahlias are unrivalled for giving a showy display from summer into autumn. You can combine them with other late-flowering plants like salvias and grasses to boost late season borders, add dwarf cultivars for colour in summer containers or grow them in rows to give lots of cut flowers for your home.

 

Looks

Height ranges from compact (up to 30cm or 1ft), to stately at 1.5m (5ft) or more. Flowers can be open-centered and daisy-like or form complex 3D structures of tight spheres or jagged ruffles. Colours are diverse too; a spectrum from sedate pastels through to riotous reds and oranges.

 

Likes

Dahlias like free-draining soil in full sun and regular feeding to ensure the best flowering. Tie stems of taller cultivars, especially large-flowered ones, to canes driven into the ground.

 

Dislikes

Dahlias dislike strong winds and cold, wet soil. They're not hardy so root tubers will need protecting from sub-zero temperatures in winter.

 

Did you know?

If you keep cutting flowers for indoor use, your plants will keep producing flowers until the first frosts. Cut flowers when fully opened as closed buds don’t open after picking. Brown petals at the back of opened flowers are a sign of old age, so avoid these for the longest vase life.

 

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For more information on growing Dahlias, click here

 

With thanks to RHS