Notebook continued Dream dahlias
queen of your garden. Luscious, flam- boyant, but not fragrant, they can be as big as dinner plates, small and single or double and quilled. There are 20,000 cultivars to choose from. They grow from tubers which need
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to be lifted in fall for overwintering in a cool place (your refrigerator crisper at four to ten degrees Celsius), or you can raise them from seed to bloom in their first year. Plant out in humus rich soil in
spring once all danger or frost has passed. Here are six tips to create your
dream dahlias. 1. Close up. Dahlias like to be
planted close to the surface rather than deep in the ground. Stay mindful of this when planting to achieve optimal results. Two inches deep is ideal. 2. Water cautiously. Dahlias don't
ahlias are the national flower of Mexico, but they could be the
like to be watered a lot when initially planted. Once their sprouts begin growing, water deeply on a regular basis, two to three times per week. 3. Bring on the heat. Dahlias like
it hot — the more sun the better! They need a minimum of eight hours of sun. 4. Deadhead. Remove spent
blooms on a regular basis. Plants that are deadheaded produce more blooms than those that aren't. It's best to cut farther down the stalk versus just cutting off the flower head itself. 5. Stake out. Stake large-blooming
dahlias to support their weight. Set the stake next to the dahlia tuber when planted. That way, you won't damage a growing tuber later in the season. 6. Dahlias are heavy feeders. Give
them a meal of high nitrogen (the first number), then a high potassium liquid feed every week for the rest of the summer.
– Amy Dube There are 20,000 dahlia cultivars and no wonder! What could be more lovely?
Getting the biggest bloom
buds that will form on each stem. Keep only the central bud. Also remove any small buds that may show themselves hiding in leaf axils lower down each flower stem. The big dahlias many need special
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attention after a heavy rain as their flowers tend to hold water.
o encourage the largest blos- som, pinch out the two smaller
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SPRING 2013
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