Garden dahlias belong to a few flowers the colour palette of which is so wide that it would take a whole day to describe it. They can be planted everywhere in the garden without limitations. Caring for these plants is quite simple, so today we will reveal some secrets.
Back into History
Dahlias came to us from Central America: the homeland of these flowers is the current territories of Mexico and Guatemala. This is also the national flower of Mexico. The Aztecs ate dahlia flower and used it in the ceremonies, as well as simply enjoyed its beauty. Meanwhile, ancient Europeans believed in the healing properties of dahlia rhizomes.
Also, the Indians used dahlias to make tobacco pipes. In Europe, dahlias were cultivated for the same purpose as potatoes. However, these representatives of the flora could not become equal competitors to potatoes in taste, just as potatoes could not compete with the beauty of dahlia inflorescences. Dahlias as a garden flower were first developed in the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid.
How to Arrange Dahlia’s Wintering?
Dahlia is a heat-loving plant, so the tubers of this flower must be transferred indoor for the winter. In early March, dahlia tubers begin to wake up. In mid-April, there should be tiny green buds on the rhizomes.
It is better to buy rhizomes on which green shoots are already visible. Such a root should be planted immediately in a pot. When planting, make sure that there is a two-centimetre space around the rhizome, then it must be covered with soil. With the arrival of warm spring days, the flower can be transplanted to the garden. It is possible to transplant flowers from pots only after the night frosts pass. Thus, we don’t recommend to plant flowers in the soil until the end of May – beginning of June.
Planting Dahlia in the Garden
Growing a dahlia is a rather simple task, you just need to pay attention to some of the features of this flower. The most important care tips are the following:
- When planting, the rhizomes need to be put into the ground to a 5-10 cm depth with the 40-60 cm interval from each other. Keep in mind that the higher the flower, the more area it needs.
- When choosing a place, consider the sunny and calm places. During the day, the sun should hit the plant for at least six hours. The more sun, the more inflorescences.
- In the summer, successful caring for dahlias primarily depends on abundant watering.
- Faded inflorescences must be constantly removed.
- Caring for dahlias is also impossible without fertilization: it is better to use special fertilizer for garden flowers with a full range of nutrients.
When growing dahlias, you need to pay attention to the fact that if there are many shoots from the rhizome, then some should be removed. Dahlias require increased attention, but with proper care, these plants will give the gardener a bunch of inflorescences as a sign of gratitude.