Search Results for 'Dahlia'

I always wish at this time of year that I grew more dahlias. Older gardens have the most glorious clumps of them, often supported by canes and string, and in such large groups that you can tell they’ve been growing happily there for decades. They just don’t behave so well for me – my soil’s very lean and the slugs are voracious – so unless I buy new each season or grow them from tubers, I have to admire them from afar.

Dahlias were such a revelation for me when I first got interested in gardening. I could not believe that the brown, wizened, dried up tuber in the packet would produce the dazzling blooms printed on the cover in just a few short months. Armed with some helpful advice from the sales lady (for instance which was the right way up!) I gave them a try and I was thrilled with the results – they’re brilliant plants for beginner gardeners because you get such magical results so quickly – within a few months of planting the tuber you can get dozens of fabulous blooms.