Dahlias and a Gardening Newbie

[trion]

I was given some dahlias. I have no idea what kind since I do not remember. A couple of years ago I commented on how beautiful they were in my friend's garden. This year she gave me some of her bulbs for my new house.

I was told to plant them in a spot with lots of sun and that they may have to be supported when they get tall. I was also told that I would have to dig them up each fall and save the bulbs for next spring. Part of the reason I was told was because they multiply.

Does this all sound correct? Is it possible to keep them in the ground over a winter with mulch/hay? (I live in more northern New England) If I do have to take them out - when would they come out in the fall and when would I put them back in in the spring?

Thanks!

 

[HiDelight]

I think everything sounds good to me

I tried digging mine up and leaving them in ..I had better luck with them leaving them in and splitting them in the early spring when they got huge

but my friends dig them up when the tops are dead ..I think it depends as well on how harsh your winters are ..deep freezes can kill the tubers and also if the ground gets and stays too wet they can rot

you can call your cooperative ext and see what they think as well

good luck they are one of my favorite flowers ..such pretty ones and such a huge variety of colors and sizes!

 

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

If I were up where you live, I'd dig them up. You can always dig almost all of them up and just leave a few to "test" for the following year. That way you know if they'll make it through the winter and you can plan accordingly.

I'm adding dahlias to my list (getting longer and longer) for next year. I LOOOOOVE them.

 

[lesa]

Dahlia's are wonderful! I have a bunch to put in the garden (but we have yet another frost warning tonight!!) I always dig mine up- I am in zone 4-upstate NY. When the leaves start dying in the fall, I just dig them up, let them dry a little (brush off excess dirt) and store in peat moss until spring. In March I plant them in large pots, so they have developed into pretty big plants, by spring- and then into the garden...My guess is they won't winter over, but if you have a few extras, the experiment would be interesting...Enjoy them!!

 

[Carri]

I just leave mine in the ground, but we don't frost. I don't know how they would do otherwise. This is the second year I've had them and I've never split them. To be honest, I don't know if I would know how to!
My favorite is the Candy Cane.

 

[digitS']

I do pretty much as Lesa does, dig and store in peat moss. They stay below 55F in a room in the basement.

I find growing dahlias to be wonderfully easy. Bedding plants go into cultivated ground every Spring, why not cultivate by digging the dahlia roots out in the Fall and replanting in the Spring. Other than spreading fertilizer on the soil surface before digging the planting hole, sometimes that is the extent of my soil preparation. The bed starts and stays relatively weed-free.

Putting a stake in the hole before dropping in a root is a good idea. As the dahlia grows beside the stake, you can gather the stems and tie them to it.

They don't always blow down but when you've got bright, beautiful buds that will open to the size of a dinner plate or burst of blooms to dazzle the neighborhood, better safe than sorry .

Steve

PS: Leaving the roots in the ground seems to be only possible to about zone 7 and requires heavy mulch there.