DELIGHTFUL DAHLIAS

July 22, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

By Kathy Van Mullekom

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)

There’s something delightful about dahlias. Once considered flamboyant by the “prim and proper,” dahlias are roaring back into favor, capturing the hearts of gardeners of all levels.

Their many colors — yellow, purple, burgundy, pink, white, pink and blends — provide style and color to a late-season garden.

And, while people love them, you’ll be happy to know that deer don’t seem to.

“Dahlias are robust plants that deliver big color in all shades,” says Hans Langeveld of www.longfield-gardens.com, a new online retail resource for bulbs and perennials, in a press release.

Longfield’s dahlia offering features 43 different varieties and 15 mixed color combinations, including flower types ranging from cactus to dinner plate, ball, mignon, decorative, anemone and waterlily.

At Brent and Becky’s Bulbs (www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com or toll free 877-661-2852) in Gloucester, Va., you’ll also find about 45 types of dahlias.

Dahlias are truly the “love flower” because the more flowers you cut and give away, the more flowers the dahlia produces for you, according to Brent and Becky Heath.

Hans agrees.

“Planted in clusters, dahlias produce hundreds of flowers over a bloom season that can span eight to 10 weeks,” he says.

“Plus, you can cut them for the vase all you want without depleting your garden.”

Dahlias grow best in warm soil, according to Hans. Plant them out once garden soil warms to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the threat of frost is long gone. To get a jump on the season, plant them earlier in containers or indoor start-up pots, where soil is more readily warmed.

Before planting the bulbs, which are technically called tubers, take a moment to admire them, Hans suggests. Some will be plump, looking like smallish sweet potatoes. Others will be loosely-dangling clusters of elongated tuberous-digits.

Dahlias prefer full sun but can handle partial shade. Position the bulbs approximately 3 to 6 inches deep, with the short neck positioned an inch or two beneath the soil surface. Watering when planting is advisable. Once growing, water them regularly whenever summer rainfall is sparse.

For a bushier plant and abundant blooms, nip off the center bud once a plant reaches a foot or so in height. Add support for taller varieties early in the season as, by fall, the plants will be large and heavy. Simple metal supports, plant rings, wooden stakes or tomato cages are all excellent solutions for managing the sprawl of tall dahlias.

Once growing, hot, humid, even horrid, summers typically won’t slow down these plants, which are native to Mexico and South America, says Hans.

Just keep the old blossoms cut or picked off and they keep “going and going” like the “Energizer bunny,” say the Heaths. Dahlias do best in late spring and early summer, and again in fall.

In colder climates, remove bulbs in early fall and cut off any foliage and flowers; wrap each bulb in newspaper and store them in a cool, dark, non-freezing place until time to plant them in the garden again.