Dazzling Dahlias: Bring Bold Colour to Your Garden This Summer
Eleanor Ashford
Every summer, like clockwork, our gardens burst forth in an exuberant display of colour that rivals a painter’s palette and few floral companions contribute to this vibrant spectacle quite like the dahlia. These fearless blooms remind me of an artist with a bold brush, bringing vivid hues and architectural brilliance to so many gardens across the British Isles.
As we find ourselves ambling into this delightful season, let's talk about how dahlias can truly become the jewel in the crown of your garden. With their diverse array of shapes, sizes, and colours ranging from soft pastels to fiery reds and blazing oranges, dahlias are the perfect plants to invigorate any border or pot. Whether you’re as green as a sapling or a seasoned gardener whose fingers are permanently tinged with soil, these resilient blooms invite us all to partake in their cheerful exuberance.
I remember my first encounter with them, a dahlia nearly the size of a dinner plate, flamboyant and unapologetically joyful. It was planted by a neighbour who had the enviable knack of always keeping their garden splendidly organised. They lovingly called it the ‘Café au Lait’, a poetic name for a bloom that indeed looked like a frothy confection of creamy coffee swirling in my morning mug. That summer, I was thoroughly bewitched by the beguiling allure of dahlias, their beauty so vivid and palpable you could almost taste it.
Now, dahlias can be a teeny bit diva-like; they despise cold feet and require a spot bathed in sunlight. Ensuring your soil is free-draining is paramount, so sandy or loamy soils are ideal. Should your soil be the heavy, clay sort, fear not, a touch of organic matter or well-rotted compost is your friend here. It’s the same stuff that’ll aid in supplying your dahlias with nutrients as they reach for the sun.
Let’s have a chummy chat about tubers, those gnarly, knobbly little wonders that breathe life into this glorious bloom. Plant them in spring when the frosty mornings have receded, about four to six inches deep, lying them on their sides like drowsy sleepers ready to wake. Ensure there’s a good metre to a metre and a half between larger varieties, but you can afford to snuggle smaller varieties a bit closer, as they’re less likely to sulk.
Once snugly nestled underground, sprinkle them with a mulch of organic matter to keep their heads warm and retain moisture. At this point, think of yourself as a steward, guiding these young lives into glorious fruition. Maintain an even watering schedule, avoiding direct splashes on the foliage to prevent mildew; no one likes soggy leaves, not even dahlias.
As summer advances, be enchanted by the splendour of your blooms. From the symmetry of pompon varieties to the flamboyant largesse of the dinner plates, dahlias come in a kaleidoscope of shapes, injecting both elegance and playfulness into your garden. Imagine sitting on your garden bench, basking in the summer sun with a cup of tea, while hundreds of little eyes in the form of dahlia blooms wink at you, their tight rosettes spiralling with hypnotic intensity. Bliss.
It’s worth noting that dahlias are magnanimous characters, rewarding careful guardianship with Florentine abundance. To prolong their floral display, practice the art of deadheading. Pinching off spent blooms encourages the plant to direct its energy toward future blossoms rather than seed production, akin to asking an artist to keep painting rather than framing their works.
Bold patches of dahlias can transform a monochrome expanse into an evocative tapestry. They pair harmoniously with lofty spires of Delphiniums, their blues and purples offering a contrast as striking as day meeting night. If you fancy bountiful chaos, consider weaving them amid wild poppies or daisies. The result is a marvellous medley that’s as entertaining as a literary festival in full swing.
And then there’s their versatility. Imagine great pots host to dwarf varieties, greeting visitors to your doorstep with outstretched petals. My personal favourite is pairing them with the subtle elegance of grasses that sway in the breeze, adding texture and movement. This tableau is as captivating as any painting hung in a gallery.
Dahlias, dear readers, are not simply flowers; they are little nods to life’s exuberance. In their company, we become more aware of the bright hues that colour both our gardens and our lives.
But our green endeavour does not end with the year’s last bloom. As days grow crisp, it becomes time to store your dahlias’ tubers once more. Gently lift them from the soil, brush off excess dirt, and let them slumber in a box of barely damp compost or sand. Tucked away in a frost-free spot, they’ll await the earth’s next tilt toward the sun, ready to rejoin their perennial performance.
Whether you’re swooning over their sumptuous shades alone, or proudly sharing your transformative garden with visitors, be sure that these dahlias will become the superstars of your summer plot. They remind us that gardening, in the end, is an act of love, for the earth, for beauty, and for ourselves. Here's hoping this summer brings you both bolder blooms and a brighter heart.
As we find ourselves ambling into this delightful season, let's talk about how dahlias can truly become the jewel in the crown of your garden. With their diverse array of shapes, sizes, and colours ranging from soft pastels to fiery reds and blazing oranges, dahlias are the perfect plants to invigorate any border or pot. Whether you’re as green as a sapling or a seasoned gardener whose fingers are permanently tinged with soil, these resilient blooms invite us all to partake in their cheerful exuberance.
I remember my first encounter with them, a dahlia nearly the size of a dinner plate, flamboyant and unapologetically joyful. It was planted by a neighbour who had the enviable knack of always keeping their garden splendidly organised. They lovingly called it the ‘Café au Lait’, a poetic name for a bloom that indeed looked like a frothy confection of creamy coffee swirling in my morning mug. That summer, I was thoroughly bewitched by the beguiling allure of dahlias, their beauty so vivid and palpable you could almost taste it.
Now, dahlias can be a teeny bit diva-like; they despise cold feet and require a spot bathed in sunlight. Ensuring your soil is free-draining is paramount, so sandy or loamy soils are ideal. Should your soil be the heavy, clay sort, fear not, a touch of organic matter or well-rotted compost is your friend here. It’s the same stuff that’ll aid in supplying your dahlias with nutrients as they reach for the sun.
Let’s have a chummy chat about tubers, those gnarly, knobbly little wonders that breathe life into this glorious bloom. Plant them in spring when the frosty mornings have receded, about four to six inches deep, lying them on their sides like drowsy sleepers ready to wake. Ensure there’s a good metre to a metre and a half between larger varieties, but you can afford to snuggle smaller varieties a bit closer, as they’re less likely to sulk.
Once snugly nestled underground, sprinkle them with a mulch of organic matter to keep their heads warm and retain moisture. At this point, think of yourself as a steward, guiding these young lives into glorious fruition. Maintain an even watering schedule, avoiding direct splashes on the foliage to prevent mildew; no one likes soggy leaves, not even dahlias.
As summer advances, be enchanted by the splendour of your blooms. From the symmetry of pompon varieties to the flamboyant largesse of the dinner plates, dahlias come in a kaleidoscope of shapes, injecting both elegance and playfulness into your garden. Imagine sitting on your garden bench, basking in the summer sun with a cup of tea, while hundreds of little eyes in the form of dahlia blooms wink at you, their tight rosettes spiralling with hypnotic intensity. Bliss.
It’s worth noting that dahlias are magnanimous characters, rewarding careful guardianship with Florentine abundance. To prolong their floral display, practice the art of deadheading. Pinching off spent blooms encourages the plant to direct its energy toward future blossoms rather than seed production, akin to asking an artist to keep painting rather than framing their works.
Bold patches of dahlias can transform a monochrome expanse into an evocative tapestry. They pair harmoniously with lofty spires of Delphiniums, their blues and purples offering a contrast as striking as day meeting night. If you fancy bountiful chaos, consider weaving them amid wild poppies or daisies. The result is a marvellous medley that’s as entertaining as a literary festival in full swing.
And then there’s their versatility. Imagine great pots host to dwarf varieties, greeting visitors to your doorstep with outstretched petals. My personal favourite is pairing them with the subtle elegance of grasses that sway in the breeze, adding texture and movement. This tableau is as captivating as any painting hung in a gallery.
Dahlias, dear readers, are not simply flowers; they are little nods to life’s exuberance. In their company, we become more aware of the bright hues that colour both our gardens and our lives.
But our green endeavour does not end with the year’s last bloom. As days grow crisp, it becomes time to store your dahlias’ tubers once more. Gently lift them from the soil, brush off excess dirt, and let them slumber in a box of barely damp compost or sand. Tucked away in a frost-free spot, they’ll await the earth’s next tilt toward the sun, ready to rejoin their perennial performance.
Whether you’re swooning over their sumptuous shades alone, or proudly sharing your transformative garden with visitors, be sure that these dahlias will become the superstars of your summer plot. They remind us that gardening, in the end, is an act of love, for the earth, for beauty, and for ourselves. Here's hoping this summer brings you both bolder blooms and a brighter heart.