Dahlia Growing Guide - Rutland Nursery

Dahlias

The cut and come again garden heroes

Dahlias are some of the most generous plants you could possibly hope to grow in your garden. Flowering from mid-bsummer, all the way through autumn, these joyful plants epitomise the phrase ‘cut and come again’ – the more you cut the more flowers come!

Coming in a myriad shapes, sizes and colours, there’s a dahlia to suit gardens of every size – yes, even a balcony or porch – and in every colour scheme you can imagine.

Dahlias are some of the most generous plants you could possibly hope to grow in your garden. Flowering from mid-summer, all the way through autumn, these joyful plants epitomise the phrase ‘cut and come again’ – the more you cut the more flowers come!

Coming in a myriad shapes, sizes and colours, there’s a dahlia to suit gardens of every size – yes, even a balcony or porch – and in every colour scheme you can imagine.

Planting directly into soil

Position

Find the sunniest spot you can, with fertile, well-draining soil. Dahlias won’t usually thrive in very poor, sandy soil, and may rot in a heavy, clay soil if the season is very wet. Only plant them in the ground when the soil is starting to warm up and the risk of frost is over. It’s worth waiting a few weeks to help the plant establish well, rather than put them in too early and the tubers never really get going.’

Planting

Ensure the hole is plenty big enough for the tuber and dig in plenty of organic matter before planting. This can be home-made compost or manure, and you need roughly 1-2 buckets per square metre. If you’re planting more than one tuber, ensure at least a 60cm gap between plants.

Watering

Water in well, and mulch over the plants (leaving a gap around the stems, so they don’t rot) to retain moisture.

Protection

Shoots will appear in early June, but keep an eye out – if there are still cold nights, you may need to add some protection over the new shoots. Just try to keep the new growth protected from slugs and snails.