This year I kept most of the potted up dahlias in my coldframe and a pop up greenhouse. As it was so cold, any of the tubers have very much taken their time to show signs of life and as I type I still have about 20 that I still need to nurture a bit before releasing them into their summer homes.
Those that have put on a lot of top growth have all been planted out now.
Don't be alarmed by the tubers showing: as the pot is only a temporary home it is perfectly fine to have just the bottom half of the tubers embedded in compost. This dahlia could be divided into several plants but I like a few good sized specimens on my garden, so resisted any attempt at division.
A quick snapshot of the dahlia in profile: the whole pot is filled with roots, definitively time to rehome it into the border. For me the establishment of a good root system and some substantial topgrowth mean that the dahlias stand a better chance in the border. After all not everyone of my clients has time to faff over them, water them every day and the slugs will not be able to do so much damage either.
I prepare a big planting hole and sprinkle some fish, blood and bone meal into it, my secret weapon for the first stage when I want to bulk up the plant overall.
The plant gets lowered into the hole, any bits of compost from the pot get mixed in with the excavated topsoil and I carefully backfill the hole. I try to bury the tuber if space permits but take care not to let soil touch the base of the shoots. I also move the old plant label to a sturdy new stem because the stem it is attached to will by now be dry and brittle and come away soon.
A generous drink of water follows and a small sprinkling of slug pellets.
I normally also stake my dahlias at this time, especially if I am working in someone else's garden. 5 bamboo canes or similar are pushed into the ground forming a wide circle around the base of the plant. I then run garden twine in 10cm intervals around the canes. It does look silly for a month or so but I find it infinitely easier to stake when planting and the vigorous growth soon hides canes and strings.
For information on lifting dahlias please see here and for starting them off here
How rewarding it must be to see all of your care and hard work produce such beautiful flowers. I used to garden more when we lived in the northern climate but here in the south I find it so challenging. Can't wait to see your dahlias in bloom.
ReplyDeleteGardening in a different climate zone must mean a drastic change in the range of plants that will thrive; I spent several weeks with a family member on an island in the south of France overhauling their garden and it was such an eye opener.
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