Dartmouth Gardener - May 2011
Dahlias
May can be such a busy month in the garden. planting out seedlings and direct sowing of so many vegetables and flowers along with hoeing and watering. These jobs need to be tackled now, as by next month it’s too late.
Weather wise the last of the frost should have finished, but a keen eye needs to be watchful of those night time temperatures and of course the extremes of weather that tend to go with the Music Festival and the County Show, which have us all trying to decide flip flops or wellies?
May is usually the time for planting out any cuttings taken through out the spring or purchased on line. These will include any Dahlia cuttings struck from shooting tubers that have been potted up in the green house in March or April. Bare root tubers should have been already planted in to the garden in mid April.
Since its introduction from South America some two hundred years ago and with a multitude of alterations to its make up through hybridisation (much achieved by enthusiastic amateurs), the dahlia now comes in many forms and colours to suit all tastes.
Dahlias can be divided into categories of form, from the tight balls of the pom-pom through the cacti and decorative forms right up to the large and giants,which are much favoured for village shows.
Some times maligned for being gaudy and crass, the Dahlia has had a bad press over the years but it is now returning to favour as new varieties are arriving in the garden centres.
Cultivation is simple; plant out into a reasonable draining fertile soil. In the early stages, care needs to be taken to protect the young plants from slugs and snails. Remember also, a single cutting can grow into a plant 5-6 ft tall and 3-4ft across so a support frame of canes and string will be needed to fight against wet and windy conditions.
When the plant has made five pairs of true leaves, it needs to be stopped by cutting out the leading tip. This term can be misleading in that far from stopping the plant, it encourages growth in the side shoots that will go on to form the structure of the plant.
For larger blooms, the disbudding of the smaller flower buds will assist in the development of the main bloom.
A good mulch of garden compost will help the feeder roots and conserve moisture.
Though many gardeners lift their Dahlia tubers at the turn of the first frost in our warm southwestern climate, a thick layer of compost after cutting down the frosted tops should help protect the roots through the winter.
Check out more garden tips at http://earthgardencareanddesign.moonfruit.com
First published May 2011 By the Dart
