My dahlias have survived! 🎉

Emerion · July 2023

I forgot to dig up my dahlias 2 years ago, and after that mild winter, they were fine, so I decided to leave them there forever and hope for the best. I thought my gamble had been a mistake this year because although we didn’t have long periods of frost last winter, it got down to -9°C on one day in December, and -4°C and -5°C on another few occasions. I’ve just noticed them thriving. I’ve missed them until now because that bed had got out of hand (again!), and they were hiding. Looks like the long hot dry period in May and June might have crisped the bronze one up a bit.

I’m not suggesting that this is the way forward for everyone, because I’ve obviously been lucky. I’m interested, does anyone know if they suffer small damage after one bad night, and then recover, but would maybe be killed by sustained below-freezing temperatures? I can’t recall how deep I planted them, but I expect it was the usual depth, maybe a bit deeper. We’re on free-draining loam above shale. No frost pockets to speak of because we’re on very gently sloping land far above a river valley.

fidgetbones · July 2023

Dahlias that I left in survived, but as they started to grow the slugs shear them off. I dug them out while I was bedding the cosmos and potted them, they will stay in pots this year. They probably won't flower but will build up the tubers for next year.

Fairygirl · July 2023

It's wet cold that does for them more than anything. I could never leave any in the ground here, even in the raised beds.
Frosts on drier ground aren't a huge problem because you can mulch and cover them, it's when ground is frozen solid for a week or more, and that happens here very easily, even if it's not that cold - ie not below about minus 5 or 6, because the ground is wetter to start with.

Slugs are indeed a huge problem as @fidgetbones says, and it's that new growth that they love.
I started growing them last year for the first time in donkeys' years, and I think that was the reason I gave up with them. I might not bother again because there are easier plants that give impact without the endless damage and then having to lift and store them.

Emerion · July 2023

Now that you mention it, @fidgetbones, I think I have had problems before with slugs slicing off the new growth of my dahlias every night. No idea why it didn’t happen this year, unless it did, and this is them a bit behind because of slugs rather than frost. West Wales is slug heaven. Maybe I should dig them up and pot them this autumn, because they did do well like that in the past. I don’t like the job, though.

rowlandscastle444 · July 2023

We had just three dahlias in. Only one has survived!! However, I see that as a positive.

bertrand-mabel · July 2023

We were given some "sale" ones some years ago. Planted them out and have never uplifted them. They are in full growth now (no flowers yet) and there is more growth than previous years. We are on heavy clay soil.

Emerion · July 2023

That’s the spirit @rowlandscastle444!

Busy-Lizzie · July 2023

David Howard, Park Princess and Arabian Nights all survive for me in ground over winter but Bishop of Landaff always dies. Some are hardier than others.

borgadr · July 2023

Mine also survived in the ground. We had -8 before Christmas, so not as bad as most of the UK but still I was surprised it didn't kill them. Maybe it because it was a very brief cold snap. We didn't get any sustained period of sub-zero temperatures this winter.

My dahlias have survived! 🎉

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