Hazel, I've just realised what plant you've got in your avatar!
Aym, I've got Labyrinth, American Dawn, Eveline, Diva, Arabian Night, La Recoleta, and Karma Choc. In my opinion they look wonderful together. The last three are all deep dark red - if I had to go for only one of these three, I'd choose Arabian Night. Labyrinth and Diva have large flowers. You might also want to check out the dahlia collections on Sarah Raven's website, not necessarily to buy them but for inspiration. (And since when have mothers had to do what their sons told them to? It should be the other way round! )
Joyce, I started my dahlias in pots last spring, because we have dreadful slug problems on the allotment, and only planted them out when they were big plants. I also put copper coated fabric under all the pots while they were in the greenhouse (plus slug pellets as needed) and around the plants once planted, and I had nearly no slug damage. On the dahlias, that is. I still haven't forgiven them for completely eating my echinacea.
Aym, I forgot the dahlia Firepot, that's another lovely one and goes with the ones I mentioned.
I know what you mean about buying from catalogues. I think you are in Essex, aren't you? If you can get to RHS Hyde Hall for their flower show (it's at the beginning of August this year), you'll be able to get wonderful plants for reasonable prices.
Aym280. Have you tried looking at Peter Nyssen for dahlias, got some beauties and they start at around £1.70 a tuber. Also for dinner plate sized ones have a look at J Parker as they have Emory Paul on its own or in a collection.
Have just bought in a mixture of seeds as the kids got me a heated propagator with lighting for my Christma/ birthday present. I have mixed salad leaves, carrots, tomato Bajaja,bucklers leaved sorrel and Carocello for the veg garden. Flowers: Daucus, gloriosa lily, dierama mixture, Gypsophila elegans, 'Kermesina', a mass of short and tall sweet peas and a mix of strange aquilegia.I also got the cats a cat grass with stripes called tabby grass. Also many more as I'm redoing the whole of the front and back garden over the next couple of years to take into account that I'll need wheel chair access. I'll be growing as much as possible from seed, cuttings and divisions from friends and family. A lot of plant swapping will be going on.
Had a blue blueberry, a pink blueberry and a Japanese wineberry turn up yesterday and last week I had a blackberry for basket growing and two step over apples. When the weather is better I'm going to have some box guttering put above the raised veg bed by the fence for growing salad leaves.
Can't wait for the warmer weather. Good gardening year to you all.
Aym280 I'm glad it helped. They aren't a company to advertise themselves as most people find them by word of mouth. Us gardeners get to save money on the coattails of the landscape gardeners and retail outlets. The company buys in bulk to pass on in bulk to others but they let the gardener with even a little patch buy at the lower cost too. They've got a good range on dahlias too.
Have a good time shopping and enjoy your new dahlias. I'm after Tartan this year, rather brash but I fancy it all the same.
Posts
Hazel, I've just realised what plant you've got in your avatar!
Aym, I've got Labyrinth, American Dawn, Eveline, Diva, Arabian Night, La Recoleta, and Karma Choc. In my opinion they look wonderful together. The last three are all deep dark red - if I had to go for only one of these three, I'd choose Arabian Night. Labyrinth and Diva have large flowers. You might also want to check out the dahlia collections on Sarah Raven's website, not necessarily to buy them but for inspiration. (And since when have mothers had to do what their sons told them to? It should be the other way round!
)
Joyce, I started my dahlias in pots last spring, because we have dreadful slug problems on the allotment, and only planted them out when they were big plants. I also put copper coated fabric under all the pots while they were in the greenhouse (plus slug pellets as needed) and around the plants once planted, and I had nearly no slug damage. On the dahlias, that is. I still haven't forgiven them for completely eating my echinacea.
Aster...I think I'll put copper tape round the pots this time plus a few slug pellets. Fingers crossed.
Aym, I forgot the dahlia Firepot, that's another lovely one and goes with the ones I mentioned.
I know what you mean about buying from catalogues. I think you are in Essex, aren't you? If you can get to RHS Hyde Hall for their flower show (it's at the beginning of August this year), you'll be able to get wonderful plants for reasonable prices.
Last edited: 07 January 2017 18:46:47
Just ordered from suttons seeds a gooseberry called captivator and 2 pkts of calendula seeds called apricot piygmy. They grow to about 10in.
Aym280. Have you tried looking at Peter Nyssen for dahlias, got some beauties and they start at around £1.70 a tuber. Also for dinner plate sized ones have a look at J Parker as they have Emory Paul on its own or in a collection.
Have just bought in a mixture of seeds as the kids got me a heated propagator with lighting for my Christma/ birthday present. I have mixed salad leaves, carrots, tomato Bajaja,bucklers leaved sorrel and Carocello for the veg garden. Flowers: Daucus, gloriosa lily, dierama mixture, Gypsophila elegans, 'Kermesina', a mass of short and tall sweet peas and a mix of strange aquilegia.I also got the cats a cat grass with stripes called tabby grass. Also many more as I'm redoing the whole of the front and back garden over the next couple of years to take into account that I'll need wheel chair access. I'll be growing as much as possible from seed, cuttings and divisions from friends and family. A lot of plant swapping will be going on.
Had a blue blueberry, a pink blueberry and a Japanese wineberry turn up yesterday and last week I had a blackberry for basket growing and two step over apples. When the weather is better I'm going to have some box guttering put above the raised veg bed by the fence for growing salad leaves.
Can't wait for the warmer weather. Good gardening year to you all.
I had a look at Rose Cottage, gorgeous but the most expensive dahlias I've seen!
Aym280 I'm glad it helped. They aren't a company to advertise themselves as most people find them by word of mouth. Us gardeners get to save money on the coattails of the landscape gardeners and retail outlets. The company buys in bulk to pass on in bulk to others but they let the gardener with even a little patch buy at the lower cost too. They've got a good range on dahlias too.
Have a good time shopping and enjoy your new dahlias. I'm after Tartan this year, rather brash but I fancy it all the same.
Bear in mind that the prices at Rose Cottage are for three tubers.