If you’re a dahlia lover, you might have had a few emails pop into your inbox over the last few weeks. That’s because the time to order them is now.
Although you can still get your hands on them in a few months, the most sought-after varieties and the best colour selections will only be around for a few weeks, so if you have a favourite, don’t delay!
‘Dahlias are one of those truly seasonal flowers that add something extra special to wedding flowers and as a cut flower to enjoy in a vase. With so many varieties to choose from, there’s a dahlia for all tastes, moods and colour preferences,’ says Lisa Corbett, founder and creative lead at Mindenwood Floral Design.
1. Café au Lait
Perhaps one of the most ‘known’ dahlias for its oversized ‘dinner plate’ head and stunning colours, the Café au Lait is a show-stopper.
For understated drama, I love Café au Lait varieties,’ says Lisa. ‘The Café au Lait Royal is exceptional for their size and colour. Soft velvety layers of petals whose tones vary from pink to lavender, aren’t known until they open, so you just never know what awaits.’
Lisa recommends buying a few more than you might need, ‘Growing them in the North East of England where I live, can go one of two ways – leave them to it and they thrive, or it’s just too wet and the slugs party. ‘I have reusable plastic collars to protect the plants as they grow, and only ever add thin layers of coffee grounds to the soil in our raised beds.’
Buy your Café au Lait Royal from Crocus; you can buy one tuber for £5.99, or three for £12.75.
2. Totally Tangerine
According to Kew Gardens, there are only 42 species of dahlia, but there are over 57,000 different cultivated varieties registered with the RHS.
With this amount to choose from it really is about what shapes you like and the colour schemes you adore.
Sacha Przewieslik, florist, grower and founder of The Floral Potager loves Totally Tangerine. ‘It’s not the longest lived in the vase, but beautiful and prolific in the garden. These single collarette types are brilliant for pollinators too.’
A single collarette dahlia features a single row of large, flat outer petals and a ‘collar’ of inner petals; this is what the bees and insects love. You can buy Totally Tangerine tubers as a pack of one, £4.99, three, £14.97 or 10, £49.90 from J Parkers.
3. Rip City
If you prefer a deeper, more dramatic-looking dahlia, then check out Sarah Raven’s top choice.
‘One of my absolute favourite dahlias is Rip City. It’s the very first dahlia I ever grew, nearly 30 years ago, and one I still wouldn’t be without. It’s reliable, strong, quick to establish, and easy to grow. The deep, rich colouring brings depth to borders, and it has an excellent vase life that makes it a superb cut flower.’
It has long pointed petals that curl a little at the ends, and has a deeper centre which adds depth. The stems it produces are long, and it loves sun and well-drained soil. You can buy Rip City from Sarah – one tuber for £5.95 or three for £12.95, use them to create a strong look this year.
4. Pompon and ball varieties
Another reason to buy your dahlias now is that you get the pick of the colours before they sell out!
Fiona Macdonald, flower farmer and founder of Flowers by Raspberry Wild explains, ‘The popularity of growing dahlias has exploded in the last 5/6 years, and there are plenty of people hovering over all the popular tubers as soon as they are available to pre-order. Buy anything you really love now and wait for the sales later if you’re less particular about colour.’
If you love to display dahlias in vases, the smaller and tighter varieties last longer, according to Fiona. ‘PomPon and Ball dahlias are great for this and give you long stems with tight blooms – have a look at Wine Eyed Jill, Cornel Brons, Jowey Winnie and Dark Spirit.’
Dahlia growing essentials
With ingredients that include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron and organic seaweed, this mix is full of nutrients that will ensure your dahlia tubers get the best start.
Ruddings Wood Large Heavy Duty Natural Rust Herbaceous Plant Support Ring, 79 x 50cm
This large metal support will aid your dahlias as they grow, it’s important to tie them in as they get larger and encourages longer stems. The support will come minus the rust initially and will natural rust over time.
Verve Peat Free Multi-Purpose Compost, 100L
This is a good multi-purpose compost that’s ideal for beds and borders, pots and baskets. With a composition of coir, wood fibre, bark and green compost it’s been tested and formulated to to ensure whatever you use it for flourishes.
Are you full of inspiration to buy your dahlias now? Your next job is to store your dahlias tubers until the risk of frost has disappeared.
Read the full article here