My last reply seems to have been deleted. What I said in reply to Purplerain was that for two years running, I bought some good quality dahlias from a local nursery, hardened them off, potted some on their own and some with other plants. They went out fter the last frost. Over the next few weeks, they just faded away. I looked at the dead plants and soil and could see nothing sinister. My other plants were thriving. I'm starting to wonder if dahlias and me are not meant to be.
Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.
I'm wondering how much success people have when they just leave tubers in the ground. There is a house near where I live which is a riot of dahlias through the summer and there are mounds of what seems to be mulch, with plain white labels sticking out, all over the garden. I'm guessing that they have left the tubers in the ground. I'm always hoping there will be somebody in the garden when I walk past but no luck so far. I did leave 2 in the ground overwinter and there are the first signs of growth from them already. I must get the slug protection in place. When they were planted I did put a layer of grit in the holes before planting.
I always have left mine in the ground, I just brought in the ones I grew from seeds last year as they were in tubs. I’m not sure any will have survived in the ground after this winter, it’s the wet they don’t like and boy has it been wet here. Every year before they’ve been fine.
Ps, your post is still there Emerson, just on the previous page.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Hi, so it is! Can you tell that I'm new to this forum?! We have very wet winters (west Wales), but well drained soil. So if I ever get to the end of the summer with living dahlias, I might risk leaving a couple of them, mulched.
Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.
I think there are a number of factors in the 'leaving them in the ground' issue - what your soil is like (if it gets badly waterlogged or not), which dahlias you grow and the weather in any given winter. In a cold wet year they may not survive, but some strains are inherently more resilient than others.
I have not yet had a dahlia survive winter outside in this garden, although this year I have one left in a raised bed in the veg garden so I'm waiting to see if that reappears. I'm in the last chance saloon with the rest, having lifted and stored them - I potted them up last week and they are in the polytunnel now. If they come back, fine, if not, I'm not wasting any more money on them. I'll try zinnias as annuals instead. Or big chrysanths, maybe.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I don’t think I would if I lived in Wales, you’re a bit like us for wet cold windy winters. Hopefully it was just this one that was exceptional, usually we just get ground frost, this year 4” of ice on the pond! I brought the frog spawn in. All I can do is wait and see if the dahlias come back, I’ve got several going in pots now though and just moved them out to the GH.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Apparently Devon has had double the usual rainfall in March. And the usual rainfall is a lot
That made me laugh out loud. I've left my tree dahlias (D. Imperialis )n the ground but I've no idea if they've survived. They were almost too heavy to lift last year so I decided to leave them. We'll see. I don't "bring mine on" , I just pot them up as they start growing. First come , first served.
Posts
I'm always hoping there will be somebody in the garden when I walk past but no luck so far.
I did leave 2 in the ground overwinter and there are the first signs of growth from them already. I must get the slug protection in place. When they were planted I did put a layer of grit in the holes before planting.
Ps, your post is still there Emerson, just on the previous page.
I have not yet had a dahlia survive winter outside in this garden, although this year I have one left in a raised bed in the veg garden so I'm waiting to see if that reappears. I'm in the last chance saloon with the rest, having lifted and stored them - I potted them up last week and they are in the polytunnel now. If they come back, fine, if not, I'm not wasting any more money on them. I'll try zinnias as annuals instead. Or big chrysanths, maybe.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Hopefully it was just this one that was exceptional, usually we just get ground frost, this year 4” of ice on the pond! I brought the frog spawn in.
All I can do is wait and see if the dahlias come back, I’ve got several going in pots now though and just moved them out to the GH.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I've left my tree dahlias (D. Imperialis )n the ground but I've no idea if they've survived. They were almost too heavy to lift last year so I decided to leave them. We'll see.
I don't "bring mine on" , I just pot them up as they start growing. First come , first served.