Dahlia Gardening

Information on Dahlia Gardening including planting dahlias, growing dahlias from seed and dahlia types. Includes information on how to start dahlia tubers.

Dahlia Gardening

' See where the Dahlia's velvet tempts the bee.'

ANON.

The fascinating subject of Dahlias, and their masterly culture, should fill a book rather than a portion of a webpage but, fortunately, it is possible to reduce directions for their mere cultivation, by different methods, to the dimensions of a recipe such as this.

How to Plant Dahlias

Plant old tubers, either whole or divided, in rich, well-drained, sunny ground, in April, 3 or 4 inches below the surface. Or place tubers in a layer of coco nut-fibre refuse on a hot-bed, or in boxes over hot pipes or boiler, in March, and pot them singly in small pots as soon as growth begins, standing them in a temperature of 55. Or defer starting the tubers till May, then plant out when they are growing. Or buy young plants in pots for planting out in June. Or leave roots out always, in warm gardens, heaping cinders above them each October, not lifting and dividing them until flowers are poor. Water in times of growth. Feed with liquid manures from the bud forming season until September. Except for plants left out, lift, slightly dry off, and store tubers in cold places out of damp and frost, laying dry sacking above them, or putting them in quite dry chaff or fibre, just below the surface. Arrange earwig-traps around dahlias, either hollow canes, or inverted flower-pots on stakes, lined with rancid fat and containing hay that can be taken out and shaken over a pail of strong boiling brine, or a cold mixture of paraffin and water.

How to Start Old Dahlia Tubers

Thin shoots to three on each plant in July, or to five in the case of giant kinds, not dwarfs, nor Pompons. To obtain prize flowers disbudding is usually required. All the tall Dahlias ought to be 6 feet apart, and, away from any but quite dwarf annuals or perennials, but of course they must be placed differently to this when used merely for garden adornment. They look magnificent upon banks, which can enable them to tower 12 feet or more above the level, or may be used as clothing for the slopes of dells or moats. They are willing to blossom in openings of woodlands, where their white, cream, blush, lilac, or brighter or dark flower masses have most original effect, yet they can be relied on to form centre-pieces to lawn, or terrace beds. I have employed Single and Cactus Dahlias to make summer hedges in front gardens that were insufficiently screened, and the enormous Decorative Dahlias, on three-foot banks, set triangle shape with but a narrow gap for entrance, to make a shelter and shade for a log bench, where there was no summer house and the sunshine was annually too ubiquitous. If the trim little Pompons are admired (and why should they fail to be ?), it is very easy to keep flower-beds brilliant until the approach of winter. When the expensive named varieties are grown, however, it is foolish to let them go on blossoming as long as they will, since the valuable tubers ought not to be weak ened. Gardeners avoid this by slipping a fork beneath the plants, in early October, and lifting them just enough to disturb their roots, which causes growth to fade ; and the tubers are taken up seven to ten days later, to dry and store. It is best to sprinkle old roots with tepid water, and keep them in a warm tempera ture, before dividing them. They may then be seen to be ' starting ' at every ' eye ' ; and so it is simple for the inexperienced cultivator to separate them into as many pieces as there are eyes, or groups of pieces, as he chooses, before planting out, or potting them, in spring. Every bit of tuber cut with an eye will grow. Dahlia tubers are not spoilt, however, when frost seems to have suddenly cut down the growing plants. If these are lifted, the stems all cut away, and the root-clumps sun dried under cover, no destruction of any consequence will have occurred. But not the slightest frost must touch the roots or tubers while they are stored. As for what types of Dahlias to grow, the garden-owner's taste must rule. Some enthusiasts love all, others object to the Show or Double, and the Pompons, for being like ' flowers carved out of turnips ' ; some regard the Pseony flowered and Decoratives as ungainly, ill-shaped, coarse monstrosities, and consider the Cactus-flowered family perfect in shape. While one person will rave over the purity of the Single Dahlias' form, another will wonder why any but the pointed-petal Singly Cactuses are cultivated.

Raising Dahlias from Seed

Dahlias, of all the classes, may be raised from seed, sown in sandy compost in pans or pots, in a tempera ture of 65, or more, in March. Seedlings should be potted off separately into thumb-pots and kept near the glass, being shifted into larger pots as their roots fill those they occupy. They can be flowered in pots if desired.

An autumn flower that may well be associated with Dahlias, in beds and groups, is the Belladonna Lily, or Amaryllis Belladonna. It should be placed in a warm spot, but an open sunny one serves as well as the south-wall border it is generally introduced into, if cinders are heaped over the site during winter. For this bulb should live out. Plant it 6 inches deep in late August, or early September, then mulch with leaf-mould. The many flowers are white, flushed with rose. Or the variety Purpurea maxima offers deep rose blooms, with a sweet scent.

The following lists suggest some excellent sorts in various classes, but not the most costly and modern.

Show Double Dahlias

GLOIRE DE LYON. Pure white.

IMPERIAL. Deep purple.

ESMOND. Yellow.

COLONIST. Fawn and chocolate.

GOLDFINDER. Yellow, tipped with red.

MAJESTIC. White, edged with purple.

MARJORIE. Yellow and buff, tipped red.

CACTUS DOROTHY. Pink, white-tipped.

FLAME. Orange-vermilion.

HAROLD PEERMAN. Deep yellow.

MAUVE QUEEN. Bright mauve.

C. E. WILKINS. Salmon and yellow.

MRS. W. H. RABY. Cream.

C. H. CURTIS. Scarlet-crimson.

CARADOC. Pale yellow.

JULIET. Rose pink.

MRS. GLADSTONE. Pale pink.

MRS. PETER MCKENZIE. Gold, edged with crimson.

SOUTHERN QUEEN. Lilac and rose.

WILLIAM NEATE. Terracotta fawn.

DIADEM. Deep crimson.

JOHN WYATT. Crimson-scarlet.

SPITFIRE. Vermilion.

Dahlias

BALLET GIRL. Red, white-tipped.

ADMIRAL TOGO. Vermilion.

MRS. CARTER PAGE. Velvety maroon, with yellow base.

KING OF SIAM. Deep purple maroon.

CORONATION. Scarlet.

BERNARD SHAW. Red-salmon.

BRIDE. Pink and primrose.

MRS. H. SHOESMITH. White.

Decorative Dahlias

PRIMROSE QUEEN. Primrose.

COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE. Pale lilac.

KUROKI. Salmon Crim

CAPTAIN HENDERSON. Son scarlet.

CONSTANCE. White.

CRAWLEY STAR. Rosy-salmon.

YELLOWSTONE. Yellow.

Pony-Flowered Dahlias

ISADORA DUNCAN. Apricot

ANDREW CARNEGIE. Salmon and salmon. Bronze.

GEISHA. Yellow and scarlet.

GARIBALDI. Deep scarlet.

QUEEN WILHELMINA. White.

GLORY OF BAARN. Pink.

GLORY OF GROENEKEN. Orange

PHYLLIS KELWAY. Deep crim yellow. Son, tipped green.

Collarette Dahlias

DIADEM. Rose, with yellow tips.

MADAME LEPAGE VIGER. Scar and white collar. Let, with yellow collar.

OBERON. Mauve-pink.

JOSEPH GOUGON. Tomato white collar. Orange, with yellow collar.

PRESIDENT VIGER. Crimson, Ver With white collar.

COUNT CHEMERETIFF. Milion, with gold ring.

Single Dahlias

WILLIAM KELWAY. Maroon.

THE CARDINAL. Crimson-scar

ALBA PERFECTA. White. Let, paling to rosy edge.

AGNES KELWAY. Yellow, flushed

TWENTIETH CENTURY. Rose-car rose, mine, with white tips and ring.

CROMER. Wine colour, with

PUGILIST. Crimson-violet .

Gold ring.

GOOD FORM. Blush-pink.

CONON. CrimsoK-maroon.

HORIZON. Apricot-gold.

CAPELLA. Rosy mauve.

SINGLE CACTUS DAHLIAS.

NOVAR. Magenta-purple and

BEAUTY. Orange-vermilion.

Crimson.

MOIDORE. Orange-bronze.

ALICE LEE. Pink and white.

PHANTASY. Yellow shaded

ARGYLE. Deep crimson. Pink.

CYGNET. White.

DEBUTANTE. Deep and pale

SUN SPOT. Pale yellow. Rose.

QUEEN MARY. White, with pale

DELICIOUS. Cream and pink.

Yellow disk.

GOLD RING. Lilac and yellow.

Pompon Dahlias

GOLDFINCH. Yellow, slightly edged mauve

ORIFLAMME. Orange-gold.

. FLOSSIE. Rose pink.

WHITE QUEEN. White.

LILACEA. Lilac-pink.

SALMONED. Salmon and yellow,

POMPONIA. Dark gold, edged tipped red. Cherry.

LEMON PET. Primrose.

THE DUKE. Velvet crimson.

Tom Thumb Dahlias

1 to 2 feet tall

HOP-O'-MY-THUMB. Scarlet

ROBIN. Deep rose. Crimson.

MIGNON. Pink, with white

GNOME. Blush-white. Ring.

PRETTY DEAR. Ivory, edged

GIRLHOOD. White with pink.

AYESHA. Yellow, flushed with

BEATRICE. Pale pink. Pink.

SWAGGER. Scarlet.

APRICOT. Apricot-gold.

Discuss and post questions with other gardeners on our Dahlia Forum! 

---

Related Items:

• Anemones Bulb Gardening
• Benefits of Bulb Gardening
• Bulb Gardening Introduction
• Cineraria Gardening
• Galanthus Garden Snowdrop