growing dahlias Archives - An Eye For Detail

FRIDAY FLOWERS: GROWING DAHLIAS

By Libby|2019-09-04T17:04:36-04:00September 4, 2019|Friday Flowers, Garden|

One of the best garden blogs around is
The Middle-Sized Garden

Yes, it is based in the U.K. so of course discusses gardens over there. But the information is, I have found, so very universal. Plus, I come away with so many new places I want to visit!

Go to the home page and look around. See what you think.

Last week Alexandra did a video chat all about growing dahlias. Listen to how the Brits pronounce this flower: dahlias with the ‘a’ being a long one. Do you like it?
I found this video talk so informative even though I have grown dahlias for years. But watch it until the end: I love the way they discuss companion plants for dahlias. I’ve now started thinking of next spring and making certain I plant some sun loving dahlias right with my cannas. Somehow I never saw those two together before!!

This is the only dahlia I’ve grown this year…sadly. These came to me from many family generations and I do treasure them! I dig up some of the tubers each fall but also leave some in the ground for the winter. In this climate it doesn’t really seem to make a difference (sigh of relief!)

dahlias

FRIDAY FLOWERS: DAHLIA NEWS

By Libby|2017-09-01T10:07:27-04:00August 31, 2017|Friday Flowers, Garden|

This is a story about my most recent lesson learned in the garden!

I’ve always loved Dahlias. Don’t you? They are available in SO many different, gorgeous colors, so many wonderful sizes and petal configurations and are very easy to grow. Right. Well, it seems they haven’t been that easy for me this year!

These are not my dahlias, but taken at Sissinghurst three years ago! Ah, to be there again. The dahlias in September were truly spectacular.

I bought some wonderful new varieties from Floret Flower and was really looking forward to this new season of growth. Do you know that dahlias are heavy feeders? They really like a boost of food several times during the growing season….as well as ample water and lots of sun. So I fed mine this year with Black Kow Manure. Good stuff, right? Two feedings.

By mid-August, when other people on social media are showing off their gorgeous dahlias, I have one flower. ONE. Hmmm. So I began to investigate and well, I am humbled to say, that I used the wrong booster for dahlias.

I am embarrassed to show you…but here it is. My one and only “Terracotta” dahlia. Very pathetic. […]