Designing a Dahlia Garden for Beginners or Experts – Easy Hacks to Ensure Massive Blooms and Cut Flowers for Days
Dahlia Care and Designing Your Cut Flower Garden
It’s easy to learn dahlia care and how to enjoy beautiful, huge blooms each summer. As an avid flower gardener, I know there are lots of gorgeous flowers out there. But in my opinion, nothing comes close to the simple yet vibrant beauty of a dahlia. Whether your thumb is brown or green, dahlias are an excellent flower to grow in any garden or climate. And one trip to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby, Oregon – you’ll see why thousands of us are in LOVE!
I first learned of dahlias from my mom. Her dad (from whom I believe we both inherited a love for gardening) was an avid gardener. He was an expert on dahlia care. Between grapes, lilacs, and lilies, I believe he was most impassioned about dahlias. My mom tells me stories of how he loved dahlias SO much, he’d come to HER yard and plant them for her.
Years later, I now know why. Dahlias are versatile, bold and (surprisingly) easy to grow. Even better–they NEED to be cut! The more you cut them, the more they grow. More blooms equal more tubers, which can be divided in the fall for more plants overall. Those of us who understand a few simple rules of dahlia care are hooked! They make wonderful statements in a small vase of flowers, and are not extremely common, making them WOW your friends and colleagues! And who doesn’t like to wow their friends every now and then!?
Check out my quick video!
If I’ve convinced you to give it a shot (because it’s actually very easy and SO worth it!), then read on, my fellow flower lover.
Why Do Some People Think Dahlia Care is a Challenge?
In my region, dahlias are not hardy; they need to be dug up in the fall and stored over winter. Cross my heart, hand to the sky – it’s not that hard. This is the most finicky plant I grow in my yard, and I actually look forward to “digging day.” When I dig them up, I get to see how much they’ve divided (YES! They multiply!) and ensure they’re healthy for next year. Trust me…it’s totally worth it for the hundreds of blooms I get each year.
Choose Your Location
I live in zone 6b in a region with over 300 days of sunshine. Dahlias are PERFECT for my climate, even though it is very arid. My grandpa and mom lived in the midwest where it was humid, so don’t worry if you’re not in a desert like me! They don’t require a ton of water; mine get 5 minutes of drip each day in the early morning.
The good news is this: Dahlias LOVE sun. Let’s be honest, many of us (especially those living in a new neighborhood with few mature trees) have LOTS of sunshine to offer! Shade can be hard to come by. So find a location in your yard that receives at least 6 hours of sun…8 hours or more is best.
My dahlias live in a 3 foot by 20 foot bed adjacent to my house. It faces the east and receives lots of morning sun. This is an ideal location because by 2PM, this is in the shade. Living in the high desert, the sun (coupled with the SUPER dry air) makes our full sun REALLY full and fatal on plants. So for me, the east side of my house is perfect. There is no shade except from the house in the afternoon.
Look around your yard. Where might these babies receive 6-8+ hours of quality sunshine? Do you live somewhere dry? If so, then where might they get 6ish hours of sun, followed by an afternoon reprieve of shade?
Pick your spot, don’t second guess – and GO FOR IT!
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Pest Prevention is a Big Deal in Dahlia Care
One more thought on location…deer are a thing here! So are packrats. Perhaps this is so with your yard. Plant your dahlias where you believe they’ll be safe from pests. They are delicious in the eyes of critters. Last year packrats mowed down my little starts (then gathered the debris in a little tiny pile just to annoy me). Now I protect mine with 1×1″ mesh fencing so I can still enjoy them while they’re protected.
(Another bonus for dahlias – even after the packrats leveled them, they STILL grew full and produced hundreds of blooms for me last year! They are a very resilient plant.)
I learned the hard way this year that it’s essential in my region to protect my dahlias from spider mites. They literally wiped out my gorgeous plants in a matter of weeks this summer. Last year, I didn’t have a single issue with spider mites but this year…that was another story.
The experts at Swan Island Dahlias (read all about their amazing Dahlia Festival HERE) told me that for someone who is a lover and steward of bees, the best pest control tool is neem oil. It’s important to get ahead of the pest issues before they begin. Here’s some of the tools I use to apply my neem oil treatments (which I do on a weekly basis):
Choose Your Varieties
One of my favorite dahlia growers is located right here in Oregon: Swan Island Dahlias. Do you want to know how good they are? They OWN the web address “dahlias.com.” Their adorable farm is located in Canby, Oregon. If you’re reading this post, Swan Island Dahlias’ farm should be a “must see” stop on your bucket list trip through Oregon!
Prepare Your Soil
Good news! Dahlias are not super picky about their soil. In fact, my native soil is terrible! Dusty, fine, sandy with very little organic matter. Centuries of juniper and sagebrush will do that to a soil!
To my bed I added two wheelbarrow’s full of compost from a local distributor; you could add some from a garden store, too. Each year, I mix in a little more compost, just to keep them happy and healthy. Some dahlia growers recommend adding bonemeal to your soil for the best blooms possible. That’s up to you! I have dogs (and am constantly battling mice and packrats in my yard) so I don’t want to add any amendments that will draw any attention to my beds.
Map Your Plan
My first year as a dahlia grower, I just plunked those babies in the ground without paying any attention to dimensions. I really had no idea: 1) what I was doing. 2) if they would grow. 3) just how big they would grow to be!
Now I am much more planful about designing my dahlia bed. This is because I want to get lots of blooms of all sizes, and have them bloom all summer.
Check out my plan in my Designing a Dahlia Bed video here.
I recommend planting the tallest varieties in the back, and the shorter ones in the front. Dahlias have LOTS of foliage, and this method will keep your shorter plants (like your collarettes and poms) from getting buried behind the dinnerplate greenery.
If you’re going to go through the trouble of planting dahlias, you want to see them–right!?
Put Them To Bed!
Dahlias require 4-6″ of depth in which to be buried. I have planted mine as early as April 1st (no issues), and as late as the month of May. No issues! They prefer a soil that is at least 60 degrees F. Once tucked snuggly in their beds, they sprout their little leafy heads between 3-6 weeks later. I find that the smaller versions come up first but I can’t say that’s a fact for all; just my experience. Within 6-8 weeks after planting, they are often filling out and you may even see small flower buds on them! Give them time…they certainly won’t disappoint.
Dahlias can grow very large and very heavy! Be mindful that you may have to provide stakes to some of your larger varieties.
The Secret to LOTS of Blooms: Cutting Back
While attending the Swan Island Dahlias “dahlia care” seminars at their annual festival, I learned the importance of cutting back (or pinching back) your dahlias. This is the trick all dahlia growers use to coax the plant into producing more blooms. Here’s how I do it:
When my little growing plants have 4-5 sets of leaves on them, I take a clean, sharp knife and slice off the center growing stock. I leave the sets of leaves to grow on the side. This simple, fun maneuver is all it takes to promote bushy growth – and more flowers! One year I didn’t do this and was sadly disappointed. This summer, I had one beautiful plant that produced easily 100+ flowers in one season! I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Pinching back your dahlias is essential.
Enjoy, Cut, and Enjoy Some More!
The more you provide tender loving dahlia care, the more flowers they produce. These are truly the gift that KEEPS ON GIVING! Don’t be shy; bring them inside! It’s important to deadhead the ones that are fading so that your plant will keep producing. Simply use a clean garden trimmer to snip off the flowers that are fading – easy as that.
Are you an avid dahlia grower or are you thinking about giving it a go? Please leave a comment below and let’s share stories!
Happy Dahlia Planting!
6 Comments
Pamela DC Roseboom
Last Fall hubby helped me dig up most of the perennials in my extensive mixed borders. I’m left w/ a lot of flowering shrubs, peonies & day lilies. Would love to plant dahlias throughout the beds for colour, texture and the beauty. Would love to learn more about dahlias and how they can ‘dress up’ my gardens.
Sassy Bluejay
Thank you for saying hello, Pamela! There’s no better season than this one to try them 🙂 Good luck and let me know how it goes! I have been growing them for years and learn more about them each year.
Amy
Thank you for this article it was very helpful. I just started growing a couple mystery day dahlias this year and have absolutely no idea what I am going. I can’t grasp the whole cutting back or dead heading process and after reading your notes it appears I did the exact opposite. I trimmed the wide foliage leaves off the not the newly sprouting middle leaves shooting from the top of the stem/stalk.
I’m going to be so sad if I just ruined my dahlias I watch them every day just waiting to see a bloom lol
Sassy Bluejay
Hi Amy! Trial and error is exactly how I learned to grow dahlias! Give us an update – how did it go!? Were they resilient and they grew back? 🙂
Sonita Harris
I just planted my first 6 bulbs. Just by luck, I planted them up close to my house facing east! We have lots of deer and mice! I hope they leave my plants alone! I have such fond memories of my great grandmother growing beautiful dahlias for her church! My Mom still has her favorite vase! Wish me luck!!!
Sassy Bluejay
That sounds beautiful, Sonita! Give us an update – how did the bulbs do? Did they survive the animals last season?