Dahlias

DAHLIAS

Dahlias, pronounced ‘Dah-lee-uh’ are native to Mexico, Central America and Columbia.

For the largest selection of shapes, sizes and colors, order your Dahlias though
a catalog company or on line.
  

Although they are not hardy enough to survive winter in our area, Dahlias bring a blast of color to your garden that last from early summer until the frost strikes in autumn. The color range is so varied it would take this entire article to list them all, including blends and markings that look hand painted.  When planning your 2016 garden you should certainly consider adding dahlias on your list.

As endless as your imagination, the hardest part is selecting which
Dahlias you want to plant. 

Dahlias grow from *tubers, which should be planted once the ground temperature reaches 60 degrees. In our area that would be in May when it’s time to plant tomatoes and summer vegetables. After Mothers Day is considered a good time to plant these items.

To keep you flowers blooming until autumn you must remove
old flower heads at least once a week.

Once the heat of summer approaches, Dahlias grow at a rapid pace and the hardest task is deadheading, cutting off dead flowers at least once weekly. Although this practice is helpful to many flowering plants, dahlias will not be as dramatic without it, soon turning all their energy into producing seeds rather than flowers.

This is a photograph of a dahlia tuber.
The most common tuber everyone knows is the potato. Now the world's
leading vegetable crop, potatoes are  native to South America.

Plant the tubers in full sun, at recommended depth and pinch them back to the ground when they reach three inches. This will force to plant to produce more stems and double the amount of flowers. Many gardeners dig the hole a few inches deeper and leave a trench to be filled in as the stems grow. This helps induce stronger shoots. Taller dahlia plants need staking. It is recommended to place the stake at planting time to avoid injuring the tubers.

This is a Dahlia I plan to grow this year. Dahlias are sold in packages of three.
I like to plant two and give the third to a garden friend. 

From less than one foot to four or six feet there are dahlias that can fit into almost every garden with enough sun. There is even a dahlia tree, ‘Dahlia Imperialis’, best in areas with long growing seasons.

Dahlia Imperialis is best in regions with a longer growing season
 to reach it's flowering height.. 

Dahlias are excellent as cut flowers. For longer lasting blooms, set blossoms in hot water for a few minutes before placing them in an arrangement.

Dahlias are beautiful cut flowers giving color both indoors and out. 

For the best results don’t let the plants dry out, providing one inch of water a week.

*A tuber and a bulb are different in how they look and grow but their function is the same, which is to store food and energy which helps the plants survive. 

Many tender bulbs and tubers can be dug up and stored indoors over winter to be replanted the following year. More information on that topic in September.

For larger flowers pinch off a few of the surrounding  buds.
This practice will force the energy into the remaining flower.

Happy Gardening,                                                                James