If you love dahlia’s but feel a bit intimidated growing your own, this post is for you! I started growing dahlias a few years and I’ve learned so much in a short amount of time. As we get into the basics of learning how to grow dahlias for beginners, I hope this post inspires and encourages you to just go for it!
Varieties of Dahlias
One of the reasons I started learning how to grow dahlias is because of the beautiful range and huge variety of species and they’re all absolutely gorgeous. There are nearly 60,000 varieties of dahlias, that’s mind boggling to me!
They drastically range in size, shape and color and every single variety is simply stunning in it’s own way. Some varieties have long, delicate petals that are whimsical and others have short, sturdy petals that are tightly formed.
My Favorite Beginner Friendly Dahlias to Grow
- Ball & PomPons -Both varieties have a round shape. Ball dahlias are a little larger than pompons. They can range from 2-4 inches are are uniform in shape (equally symmetrical). They come in a range of colors and look beautiful in an floral arrangement or bouquet.
- Dinnerplate Ladyrinth– The scale of a dinnerplate and shape of the petals are what make these spectacular flowers stand out! They’re just huge and yet the petals are long, narrow and have a really delicate look to them. The stems are sturdy, they make for a long lasting cut flower and keep producing all summer until the first frost.
- Cafe au Lait– I grow a few varieteis of dinnerplate dahlias every year because they’re my favorite. They have the largest blooms that can grow larger than 8″ diameter. Cafe au Lait is my favorite dinnerplate variety and are the most sought after by brides. They are usually a pale shade of blush on the outer edges and become a little darker of a blush peach or pink towards the center.
- Crème de Cognac – I love this pinky-peach beautiful, copper colored dahlia variety. It has darker copper/reddish tones underneath and will bloom from early summer until the first frost. I ordered more of these this year because they’re so gorgeous and work so well as a cut flower!
- Waterlily dahlias have a “waterlilly” like shape and also come in a variety of colors and shades. They have long stems that are strong and grow to be roughly 3-4 feet tall. They’re also wonderful for creating beautiful floral arrangements for your table.
Anatomy of a Dahlia
Before getting started with planting dahlia tubers, you’ll need to make sure it has all three parts. The tuber eye, the body and the neck. If any of these three parts are damaged or missing, the dahlia will not produce.
If you are a total beginner and are not at all familiar with dahlias or tubers, I highly recommend watching THIS VIDEO from Laura at Garden Answer to learn more about dahlia tubers.
Tubers can be planted in a clump or an individual tuber can be planted alone as long as it has an eye (growth point), body and neck.
Of course dahlias can be grown from seed or from a tuber. While I have had really good luck growing Dahlias from seed, I still prefer growing from tubers because I only have so much space in our greenhouse.
If you do start your Dahlias from seed it’s a lot more cost effective. Seeds should be started indoors or in a greenhouse about 4-6 weeks before you last frost. I won’t go into starting from seeds in this post, I’m going to keep my focus on tubers.
Dahlias tubers multiply every year and the tuber clumps will need to be divided over time, giving you more and more dahlia tubers. Dividing the tuber clumps will help the plants grow fuller and stronger. If the tubers are not divided, overtime they can become overcrowded and they’ll be competing for recourses and nutrients.
Location: Where to grow Dahlias
Let’s talk about where to plant dahlias. They thrive with 6-8 hours of sunlight, so choosing a location with plenty of sunshine is crucial.
Dahlias are perennials in zones 8-11, so if you live in cooler zones, the dahlia tubers must be dug up and stored for the winter. Dahlias will not over-winter for me because we live in a zone 5. Even though dahlias are not considered a perennial where I live, they’re SO worth the extra effort! If you are in a similar zone, please don’t let that deter you from learning how to grow dahlias.
Dahlias like soil that drains well! We have sandy soil and the dahlias have done really well when I’ve grown from seed and transplanted out into a flower beds. My raised garden beds have much richer soil in them so I have to add vermiculite to help with moisture levels, improve drainage and promote root growth.
Planting Dahlia Tubers For Beginners
To plant your dahlia tubers you’ll want to dig a hole around 4-6 inches deep. Some suggest that you give your tubers a soak in lukewarm water before planting if they look particularly dry. I have never done this, and I have had great success with my dahlias. So do your research before planting and maybe carefully look at your tubers and then decide based on the condition they’re in. Be sure to check for all 3 parts before planting.
Space your Dahlia tubers roughly 12-18 inches apart. Dahlias grow tall and wide so they’ll need plenty of space to grow. They are the flower that just keeps giving and giving. The more you cut, the more they produce. They’re amazing!
Add some organic bone meal/fertilizer to the bottom of your hole and mix into the soil a bit. This will help the plants produce healthier blooms. Lay the tuber in the hole making sure that the growing point (the eye) is facing up.
Cover the tuber with a few inches of soil. You’ll want to leave the stem just at or slightly below the surface of the soil and don’t water them in. You’ll want to wait to water your plants. If you water your tubers right after planting them, they could rot in the ground. Wait until you see them beginning to sprout up before you start watering them regularly. Make sure your soil is draining properly and avoid overwatering.
Protecting Your Dahlia Blooms
I grow dahlias primarily to cut in order to create floral arrangements and bouquets. They’re beautiful in the garden but I like to have them in my home and give them away to family and friends as well.
I’ve learned a simple way to keep the blooms protected is with little mesh bags. These mesh fruit/flower bags have a draw string and are really easy to use. Just slip one over the bud when it’s starting to form and pull tight on the strings. This will help keep pests from nibbling your blooms. And just a little common sense reminder, be sure to look at the size before ordering to make sure the bag will actually fit the size of your blooms, as these bags come in a lot of different sizes.
Supporting Your Dahlias
Every variety of dahlia is different but most of them grow quite large and full. The blooms can get a little too heavy for the stems, even thought the stems are strong. I like to stake the dahlias with heavier blooms like the “Dinnerplate” varieties using plants supports.
Supporting your flowers will be even more important if you live in a windy area and if your variety is one that can grow up to 4 feet tall. Be sure to take that into consideration when choosing what variety you want to grow.
4 Mistakes To Avoid While Learning To Grow Dahlias
1. When I started growing dahlias in my raised beds the first mistake I made was overwatering. The tubers can rot if overwatered when the plant is young. Now I pay close attention to the soil and make sure it’s draining properly. I water regularly and thoroughly, but I don’t water daily.
2. The second mistake I made was regarding protecting the blooms. I had been growing dahlias for a few years and hadn’t had a single problem with any type of pest problem or decease issues. Dahlias are susceptible to things like aphids, earwigs, and slugs. They can also be susceptible to diseases like powdery mildew and verticillium wilt. One year we had a big problem with Rose Chafers. They went after my roses of course, but also took out a few of my dahlias and I’d never had that happen before. I ordered the mesh net/bags to cover my blooms so this doesn’t happen again. When the little bugs gather on the mesh bags, you can collect them easily by balling up the mesh bag and dropping it all into soapy water.
3. In the past, I’ve waited too long before staking the plants. If they grow too big, their likely to break off so now I make sure I stake the larger varieties early on to prevent any damage.
4. The last mistake I made that first year was planting the tubers too far apart. I planted a variety, but didn’t realize I could have grown a lot more dahlias than I did in just one bed. They do need space, but they didn’t need 3 feet between plants, that’s for sure.
If you’d like to learn more about growing dahlias and all the varieties, I recommend checking out “Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias”: A Guide to Growing and Arranging Magnificent Blooms . This book is wonderful and will help answer all your questions and even the ones you didn’t know to ask!
I hope these tips help and this inspires you to grow your own beautiful blooms this year!
