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Dahlias - London - Lift or leave

selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
in Plants
They are in raised beds , newly made this year by me, with a mixture of manure/vermiculite and compost .
I was planning to cover with wood chip/mulch and then leave- or do I need to cover with compost too ? I have manure ...

Posts

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    edited November 2021
    Unusual mixture for the beds. Left some in last year, because I have so many and found neighbours didn't take theirs in. I covered them in home made compost,then stuck willow hanging baskets over the top. I took in some expensive ones. The ones I left, flowered late,slug damage
     We are on clay but it's been much improved by us over 10 years. I'm going to leave the ones in the south facing front garden
     Not going to do anything with them, because they would look a bit odd mulched and it's a very narrow borde.We are in the SE corner.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I would say it depends on how desperate you are to keep them. I always think that leaving them outside is risky, so any l really like, l lift.
    As long as the drainage is good and the Winter isn't too wet it's got to be worth a try. I wouldn't cover them with manure though, l think it may keep too much moisture in contact with the soil and the same might apply to woodchip, but l'm not sure about that.
     I would just use compost  :)
  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811
    I always lift as one year a few years ago when we had a very cold wet winter I lost my full collection. I wouldn’t risk it again. Even though winters have been milder my plants would get ravaged underground by slugs if left in borders.
  • selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
    aha ok thanks for the tips
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