YORKTON - Good things are worth waiting for, and many gardeners would say that dahlias fall into this category.
Dahlias are stunning flowers that have an interesting life: they start life from tubers in the spring, planted much like potatoes, take their time in growing over the summer, and then by later summer or early fall they begin to give us stunning flowers in a myriad of shapes and a rainbow of colours! Then, after frost, we dig them out, store them, and look forward to spring to start all over again.
Dahlias originally came to us from South America and Mexico, and if you think there isn’t a dahlia for you and your garden, think again, because there are over 20,000 cultivars to choose from, including small dahlias that love growing in pots, right up to giants for the garden. They come in shapes like cactus, pompom, decorative, dinner plate, mignon and many more. And so many luscious colours! Simply beautiful!
Now it is coming up to the time when we have to deal with dahlias. Those who grow dahlias regularly say they are the easiest things to grow. Those who don’t, well, as we have said, gardeners love challenges! A dear friend brought us some absolutely amazing spider-type dahlias, in a bright tomato-red color, with the blooms measuring about 8 inches across! Stunning! Some other dear friends said they had an amazing show from their dinner-plate dahlias, blooms so heavy that the stems had to be staked. Aren’t those beautiful blooms worth the extra effort?
In the fall, when our first frost has made the leaves wilt and turn black, we should cut back the stems to about four inches. Then, we carefully dig them out, and gently shake off any loose soil. The tubers have to dry for a few days before we bring them in, so put them in a dry location where they will not freeze, and keep them out of direct sun. Then, gently remove any soil, cut the stems down to about two inches, and they are ready to store. Various gardeners have told me how they put the tubers in a box with peat moss, or just toss them in a plastic bag, leaving it open for air to circulate. We should store them in a cool, dry location, and check them every once in a while. If they seems like they are drying out, we can give them a bit of water. Before we know it, we can start looking forward to planting them in the spring!
In the spring, we should look for a spot where they have full sun, rich, well-draining soil, and good air circulation. We should plant the tubers about six or eight inches deep, and lay them flat with the eye facing up. If we have a whole clump, and the stem still attached, we should plant them deep enough so that an inch or two of soil covers the stem. They will grow to a good size, so they should be at least two feet apart. Once they start growing we can give them regular treats of fertilizer (careful not to choose one that is high in nitrogen), and then by late summer we will start to enjoy these amazing blooms!
Dahlias have always been a favorite of flower shows, and their variety of color and shape is probably why. They make a stunning presentation as cut flowers, and I think with fondness of gardening friends who are no longer with us but left a legacy of sharing their dahlia interest and passing on their enthusiasm and affection of this amazing flower.
Thank you to our friends at Yorkton This Week for their great work each week. Visit the Yorkton Hort Society at www.yorktonhort.ca and see what’s new. Dress warm and have a great week in the garden!
