Wisley Open Day - March 4th

I took a little time out today and went to Wisley Gardens who had an open day to attract new members to the RHS.  The National Dahlia society had a presence there, along with other specialist plant societies, who I met with.

Of course, all the societies were promoting membership which I think is so important for the specialist grower; apart from the wealth of information and advice that one can get from other members it is also important as it helps promote the particular plant type and maintains and, hopefully, increase popularity.

Dahlias reigned supreme through the 60's and 70's and then suffered a decline in popularity.  For some reason they gained an unfair reputation for being difficult to grow, and there was some criticism for them being water hungry.  However, they are now becoming more popular as people realise that they are actually not difficult to grow and, whilst they do require water, can be grown with careful and economical irrigation.  Last year I planted mine out at the very beginning of June, it rained a little the following day (which was a blessing) but then not until late July.  Apart from 2 or 3 plants in one area I did not irrigate at all.  This forces the young plants to put their roots down deeper searching for moisture and creates a much stronger root system.

Now people are seeing them in a different light; the different colours and shades, the different shapes and sizes; there are dahlias to suit everyone's taste.

There has also been a real focus on exhibition cultivars which, in my view, has tended to put off anyone that just wanted splashes of vibrant colours in their garden.  This trend, I believe, is beginning to change with much more publicity on these wonderful plants for gardens and borders.

And don't forget that dahlias are fantastic for cut flowers.  Between the end of July and into October a single plant could produce as many as 16 to 20 blooms; some cultivars are more prolific than others and any supplier will advise on this.  So, a dozen dahlias in the cut flower garden could yield 180 to 240 blooms over a 8 to 10 week period; all from a plant costing just a few pounds, what a return!  The important thing to remember is that once a dahlia starts to bloom they must be either cut for the vase or, as soon as the petals begin to die away, dead headed; the more they are cut the more they will flower.

At the beginning of September why not allow a few heads to die on the plant and collect the seeds?  As soon as the seed head is ripe remove the seeds and spread thinly on sheets of newspaper, or other absorbent paper.  Separate the 'chaff' and, when completely dry, store in an envelope until the Spring.  Sowing in early April will yield plants ready to go out into the garden in early June when all danger of frost has past.  Scatter the seed onto seed compost in a tray and water lightly.  Seedling will start to appear in 4/5 days and by around day 14 should be ready to be pricked out into a 90mm pot.    As dahlia cultivars are all hybrids the plants that grow from these seed will not be true to the parent plant.

Flowering will start in mid to late July and can be quite exciting with the anticipation of what your seeds will produce!