Horticultural aide-mémoire

Start dahlias

The quiescent dahlias can now be brought forth from their winter quarters and revived for the coming season. Bring them into a temperate glasshouse. Check that all is well and excise any dead growth. Then pot up the plants, retaining the all-important labels, and give them a good drink, making sure that the water flows out of the drainage hole. They can live on the glasshouse floor for now as the buds gradually stir into life. Soon, you will be able to propagate from these stock plants if you wish, by taking cuttings or removing a tuber here and there. SCD