Dahlias come in a wide range of colours and flower shapes and make great cut flowers. Perfect for providing some late summer colour as the showy herbaceous perennials from earlier begin to finish their display. They produce lots of flowers, especially if you dead-head regularly, from July through to the first frosts in October/November.
They grow from tubers which are best started in a frost-free greenhouse in the Spring as they are not frost hardy. Once the frosts have finished either plant them out in the flower bed to fill any gaps or the shorter ones can be grown in pots. They like a sunny spot, regular feeding through the summer and staking.
Beware slugs! They love the new tender growth of dahlias and can shred an entire plant in a night so protection is needed. Bees and other pollinators also love them, especially the open flowered varieties
Lots more help in growing dahlias can be found on the Royal Horticultural Society’s website.
