Where should I plant my dahlias for the best results?
DAHLIAS are the darlings of late summer and autumn, their blooms providing bursts of colour whether in pots or beds and borders. But some are better at showing off on patios, while others will nestle happily amid perennials and shrubs in a wider setting, or set off a zingy palette in a tropical garden.
Dahlia specialist Rob Evans, owner of Pheasant Acre Plants (pheasantacreplants. co.uk), a Chelsea Gold Medal-winning nursery, says: “Whatever dahlia you choose, they prefer full sun, being native to Mexico.
“To keep them going through to the autumn, feed them every 10 days to two weeks with a high potash feed or a tomato feed and deadhead regularly. At this time of year they need to be watered three times a day, depending on the size of the pot and the type of compost you are using.”
DAHLIAS IN CONTAINERS
“I WOULD go for ‘Melody Allegro’, a decorative salmon pink dahlia, and ‘Genova’, a miniature ball, which look good as standalones in containers,” suggests Rob, who is set to exhibit at Malvern Plant and Garden Fair in September. “’Mystic Illusion’ is another candidate, which has dark foliage and a bright yellow daisy-like flower. They all grow to around 3ft. There’s a really spectacular decorative dahlia called ‘Miss Brandy’,” he continues. “The flowers, which are orange on the face and more of a red-orange on the back of the petals, are about five inches across.”
IN A TROPICAL SETTING
Learning With Experts (learningwith experts.com) recommends ‘Dahlia Karma Choc’, a deep red flower with very dark foliage as a great tropical border variety, and points out the widely available ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ would also look good in an exotic setting. Rob adds: “We have a variety ideal for tropical settings called ‘Brown Sugar’, which bears deep brown-red flowers.”
DAHLIAS FOR THE BORDERS
IN A CONTEMPORARY GARDEN
“I’D just go for one or two of the giant dahlias to give it a pop of colour, such as ‘La Luna’, a lemon yellow type that grows to around 5ft and would need to be in the ground, not in a pot,” says Rob.
“If you only have room for one pot, go for something like ‘Totally Tangerine’, which will go in most hard landscaping designs.
“Bees adore the anemone flowers and are continually in flower throughout the summer.”