Dahlias Ideas, Tips & Guides

Today’s boozy vase shares some elements with last week’s although lacks its fullness, containing less than an armful but more than a small posy, although with more time at my disposal it could have become more fulsome than it is. Having achieved my personal challenge of creating a vase with such a large number of blooms, I feel more confident of repeating the exercise and the garden is certainly proving the material to do so.

Not having used fiery colours for a few weeks, that is what I had in mind for today’s IAVOM contribution but, having picked a stem of Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’ as my starting point, I found there were no suitable blooms on Dahlias ‘David Howard’ or ‘Totally Tangerine’ to continue my planned theme. However, there was a single bloom on new Dahlia ‘Blyton Softer Gleam’, albeit looking slightly more yellow than the colour that attracted me in the catalogue, so this was snipped and the search continued.

How to Identify and Treat 9 Common Dahlia Diseases

I was planning on taking the contents of whatever vase I created to Julie, whose Pilates class I have been attending for 12 years but who is stepping down as of today; however, she is poorly and unable to take the class so I will arrange to see her with a fresh bunch when she is well enough to mix with people again. I shall miss her weekly classes, but have always enjoyed those taken by her replacement, who has covered for illness and holidays and teaches a slightly different style, so all is not lost.

By midsummer, the flower borders are a riot of colour. It’s an ideal time to take stock, deciding which areas look good and which need plants moving or adding to create the best summer displays. Flowering plants such as dahlias, sweet peas and roses will benefit from regular feeding at this time of year, while deadheading will help to keep many plants flowering longer. It’s also time to prepare for seasons to come, by sowing biennials and planting autumn-flowering bulbs.

I have been watching and admiring the white antirrhinum, A ‘Liberty Classic White’, in the cutting beds for a few weeks, not wanting to cut any stems until all our garden visitors had departed. Now that they have indeed all gone, I was at liberty to use the stems in today’s vase, where they form the mainstay of an all-white arrangement.

After a day of tweaking we are all but ready for tomorrow’s garden opening (although there are always things that can only be done on the day), and I am enjoying sitting down while I write this post. Things are generally in order and the garden is poised and waiting, so a chilled evening is more than justified.

Your dahlias are in their prime right now, giving your garden a glorious summer hue. But what should you do with flowers that are past their best? And how should you go about pruning back flowers that have died back? Deadheading dahlias is an important practice to help your blooms stay healthy and grow new buds. If you’re new to gardening or just dahlias, and you’re unsure of where or how to deadhead your dahlias, then our guide will show you the ropes! What does deadheading mean? Image: A gardener deadheading a spent rose Deadheading is the process of cutting off ’spent’ flower heads.

When and How to Water Dahlias

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With the third series of the hit drama about to start and The Bridgerton Garden coming to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show later this month, now is the ideal time to invest in some new plants to bring a touch of Regency glamour and romance to your garden.

Orange ‘Fire King’ wallflowers and reddish-purple ‘Slawa’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Rem’s Favourite’ tulips in Sarah Raven's cutting garden.

Summer wouldn’t be summer without dahlias. Their beautiful flowers come in almost every colour imaginable, from pale pastels to hot, vibrant shades. They come in a range of flower shapes, from small tight balls to lily-like blooms the size of dinner plates. They’re perfect for adding late summer colour to borders from July to October and look good in any style of garden, from a cottage-style border to a jungle or exotic scheme. They look especially good with cosmos, grasses, Verbena bonariensis or cannas.

From stunning dahlias to cheerful swamp sunflowers, here are some cheerful Perennials that look like zinnias with their intricate petals and vivid colors!

if you’re looking to jazz up a patio or fill a few pots with beautiful blooms, then growing dahlias in a container or two isn’t just a possibility – it's encouraged! You can grow almost any compact to medium-sized dahlia in a well-placed pot! Here’s how to grow your favourite dahlias in a gorgeous pot like a professional, with help from our gardening experts. How to Plant Dahlias in Pots

27 of the Best Dahlia Varieties for Your Garden

Are Dahlia's perennials? We hear this question a lot, and the quick answer is ‘Yes, they are!’. But it also depends on the type of dahlia you’re looking to buy.

Big, bold and brassy – dahlias dazzle in the border and and in a vase. Originating in Mexico, dahlias were first introduced to Europe to be grown for food. However, the unpalatable tubers lead to them instead being grown and bred for their flowers.

2023 has been a top year for Dahlias The garden was disrupted by an impending downsizing house move but the quantity of flowers was excellent even after some neglect. A second plus was the plants I gave away to friends who seemed to appreciate the performance in pots or direct in the ground.

As with fashion, floriculture also has its trends. Dutch botanist Jacqueline van der Kloet signals two color trends.

Starting dahlias from tubers in January and February is a great way to get a head start on the growing season, especially in climates where winters are long and cold. Here are some steps to successfully start dahlias from tubers during these months:

Try Inca 'Husky' Peruvian Lily, Amaryllis, 'Sweet Peach' Bouvardia, Carnation, Zinnia 'Zinderella Peach', 'Peach Finesse' Rose, 'Bolivian Peach' Gladiolus, 'Double Peach' Hibiscus, 'Peach Melba' Tulip, and 'David Austin Juliet' Rose for a peachy garden palette. And don't miss the Coral Charm Peony and Dahlia 'Peach Cobbler'.

Alright, one last wishlist post from me, your GPOD editor… This time I’m looking past flowers to foliage that I want to add to the garden. Everyone knows that foliage is the heart of a well-designed garden as it lasts so much longer than flowers. BUT I’m very guilty of being seduced by pretty flowers, so I need to really focus on stepping up my foliage game this year.

Burgundy flowers bring a rich, deep shade to your garden, making it stand out. In this guide, we’ll share some of the best ones you can easily grow, both indoors and outdoors!

Image: Dahlia Waltzing Mathilda Dahlias are one of our top sellers for the spring season, and it’s easy to see why. They’re big and bountiful, adding colours and textures to the summer garden. And, with the new season finally upon us, we have a brand-NEW selection of impressive dahlias for you to know and grow! Here are just a few picks from our range that we’re loving. But, if you’d like to explore our full range or even pre-order your favourites, then visit our dahlia tubers page here. Dahlia Waltzing Mathilda

Ivory flowers are known for their soft, creamy, and off-white tones. This neutral color brings peace and tranquility to any space. With so many types to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect one for yourself.

You can take an Englishwoman out of England, but you can’t change a deeply ingrained English garden aesthetic. Pom Shillingford has lived in America for 26 years, but she still yearns for the garden she knew as a child — her grandmother’s beloved Arts & Crafts garden in Hampshire, which she remembers always being filled with seasonal flowers. She and her husband David and their three young children moved from Manhattan to the small town of Salisbury in Connecticut in 2013. ‘I had always loved Manhattan, but suddenly I didn’t love it any more and needed to go back to green fields and the outdoors,’ says Pom.

After a few days of clear sunny days and blue skies, even with a hint of warmth in the sun on Thursday, it was almost inevitable that we would soon be seeing our first frost of the season – and so it was, arriving like a thief in the night. Temperatures dipped to -2°C in the early hours, and haven’t risen above 5°C for the rest of the day, finally putting paid to autumn for this year.

It's easy to get in a festive mood when you see your local shops decorated to the nines or watch your favorite holiday movies on repeat. But you don’t necessarily want your home to look like said shops or movies.

Chocolate Flowers – Ideal for creating an air of mystery in your garden with their dark color, these chocolaty wonders not only provide a stunning visual contrast against traditional greens and bright colors but also entice with their often sweet, chocolate-like aroma!

The garden may be in the thrall of autumn, but there is still a fair bit of colour around in patches, with the promise of more to come. Colour is concentrated most in the dahlia beds, where the blooms show little sign of stopping – we, and Jack Frost, know better! There are still roses in bloom, with ‘Strawberry Hill’ the main contender, continuing to delight:

Q: Now that it’s late autumn, my dahlias are starting to die back. Can I leave the plants in the ground or do I need I lift the tubers and store them in my shed for the winter? I’d much prefer the first option if possible! MD, Kilkenny

I have no doubt mentioned a number of times that I have been very lax in supporting my dahlias this year, inevitably resulting in a number of casualties. By way of excuse, I have been awaiting a supply of stakes from a friend whose husband coppices for a local farmer, stakes cut a number of months ago apparently, waiting in their garage and on the point of being dropped off here any time now – or at least that was my friend’s intention! At least if I receive them soon they will be ready for next year and I can have them in place when the tubers are first planted out again, as is probably recommended by professional growers!

Succumbing to the urge to move unusually lanky aster Symphyotrichum‘Little Carlow’ today instead of waiting till it was dormant, I also moved the sanguisorba I featured in a vase a few weeks ago, and again today, a little nearer the fence. Whilst doing so, I realised the label read Sanguisorba dodecandra and not S canadensis as I had thought. Googling doesn’t tell me a lot about the former, and illustrations suggest it looks more like the latter, so it remains a bit of a puzzle. The aster looks all the better with something behind it and, having dug it out with a large rootball, doesn’t look any the worse for its experience; the sanguisorba, however, is now glowering at me and I cut a few flowering stems for today’s vase rather than leave them to a potentially slow demise on the plant.

Red Flowers With Yellow Center —a stunning, yet often overlooked phenomenon in the floral world. These unique blooms offer more than just striking visuals; they are a dance of colors and meanings!