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Forever Autumn, from the Potting Shed of Linda Lou
It’s almost that time of year, when the dazzling displays of leaves flutter from the Autumn tree.
The garden can feel quite sleepy, as many of the summer beauties have flowered and are now waiting to be put to bed.
However one of the jewels in the crown at the moment are dahlias, these tuberous perennials, often overlooked in the past, are now a valuable addition to the late herbaceous border.
It’s not the national flower of Mexico for no reason, it’s multiple forms and colours offer vibrancy and excitement like no other.
Sure some can get a bit carried away, reaching heights of 4-5ft, with their dinner plate size blooms, but there are also the delicate, understated single dahlias (magnets for pollinators).
And it’s true they may need a couple of stakes here and there to hold them up in the sometimes gusty season, but boy are they worth it! Whether they are ‘cactus type’, ‘pompom’ or just decadent ‘decorative’, there’s one for everyone’s taste.
What’s not to love about these versatile, easy maintenance, hollow stemmed, perfect for cutting plants?
Regular dead-heading keeps these girls flowering until the temperature drops. It’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between a bud and a spent flower. Buds have a roundish, plump appearance, whereas spent blooms are more triangular in shape and should be cut right back to the stem to where they branch out.
I leave mine in the ground all year round buried a little deep and mulched generously in early Spring, plants get bigger and stronger as the years go by.
However, if you suffer with heavy soil that stays cold and wet in the winter, the tubers underground will suffer and possibly rot, so lifting as soon as the foliage turns black after the first frosts would be a better option. When lifted, store in a dry, frost free place, no need to cover. Alternatively dahlias are perfect for pots (good drainage obviously) with regular feeding and watering they will brighten up any corner or can be moved around the garden quite easily to change your colour scheme up a bit. Then stored for the winter, pot and all.
Why why why Dahlia?
Why not ?
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