Planting Dalias

[Sally]

Hi

Someone has given me some dalia bulbs, I really want some nice bit cut flowers next year - when should I plant my dalias? What sort soil do they like?

Thanks
Sally

[vicky]

Keep them frost free (a shed?) and plant in the spring either straight into the ground (when risk of frost is passed) or earlier in a greenhouse (you can take cuttings if you do this), protect from slugs!

[Sally]

Thanks Vicky! Forgot to say they have been out of the ground in my shed for a couple of years - are they done for?

[sallym]

OOh. Thats really wierd, I was just about to start a thread on Dahlias. Must be a Sal sort of thing.

[rustylady]

Thanks Vicky! Forgot to say they have been out of the ground in my shed for a couple of years - are they done for?

They're probably well past their sellby date! I bet they're really shrivelled and dry, aren't they? You would be better to buy new ones next spring.

[Two_Sheds]

Forgot to say they have been out of the ground in my shed for a couple of years - are they done for?

I'd say so

[Diva1983]

Sorry to butt in, but I'm confused! Are Dahlias grown from seed or come in bulb variety? After watching gardeners world I'd like to have a few around the garden?

Also, when do you plant them?

Diva

[Two_Sheds]

Dahlias are grown from seed and tubers. If you sow seeds, you'll wait a little longer for flowers - tubers are quicker (but more expensive).
You can also propagate them from cuttings, like Carol Klein did on G. World last night.

Springtime.

[nick the grief]

Sorry to butt in, but I'm confused! Are Dahlias grown from seed or come in bulb variety? After watching gardeners world I'd like to have a few around the garden?

Also, when do you plant them?

Diva

Really it depends on the sort your talking about. The run of the mill bedding dahlia's are grown from seed every year but if you have a particularly nice flower colour you can save the tuber and take cutting the following spring.

The taller growing ones like Bishop of Landaff and the ones that are grown for show are usually cuttings taken from tubers that have bee selected and saved.

It's keeping them cool and frost free that's the main problem for most folks and various methods have been employed - wrapped in newspaper and under the bed in a spare room with no heat. Wrapped and stored in the loft. Carboard boxes full of polystyrene chips and in the shed now I just keep them under the bench and cover with fleece and set the thermostat to 5c

Plant them after the last frost in your area and you have flowers from about july to the 1st frost

[Two_Sheds]

I gave up digging mine up. Just leave in situ, they come back every year (mind you, not too frosty here on the East coast)

[Snadger]

If you only have a few tubers you could just bury them under a privet hedge for the winter! Its dry there and usually frost free.............just remember to put markers where you've buried them!

[Diva1983]

I've seen some pretty stunning looking ones on ebay (moonlight?! or something along those lines...). Will be hoping for dahlias in my garden next year.

[nick the grief]

If you look in the garden centres after Chrimbo there will be loads to choose Diva.

If you only want them for the garden some of them will fit the bill well. Bishop of Llandaff takes some beating - scarlet flowers and bronze foliage or Roxy, sort of mauvey pink again with bronze foliage. these are single flowers (peony is the proper classification) but the waterlily flowered types are good as well but I'm not sure what sort they sell these days but ones like Gerrie Hoek (Pink), Glorie van heemsteed (Pale Yellow) and my favourite Taratahi Ruby (a orange red) but these might take a bit of searching out - Try Station House Nursery (Website) they have a good selection of cuttings and are reasonably priced