Photos of Dahlias 2024

I’ve found that all types of dahlias are attractive to bees and insects @Clare G Once the pom pom types are fully open the pollen is exposed. I watched this bee gathering pollen for ages and it then seemed to have a nap in this dahlia for about 20 minutes

 

My bed of dahlias … I save so much money during the dahlia flowering season as I never have to buy flowers for the house.


Dahlia Wizard of Oz, lots of blooms are produced continuously and I like that they are on very stiff stems which don’t flop over.


Old favourite Cafe au Lait


Dahlia Cornel Brons, these are also on very stiff stems, so they’re really good for picking and putting in a vase.

 

And for @fairygirl some brighter colour dahlias as I know she’s not a fan of pastel colours

Dahlia La Recoleta … it grows like a weed, I only bought one tuber last year and when I lifted it in the autumn it was huge so I split it into 4 and each plant is producing loads of blooms.



David Howard, for some reason this was late to get going this year and isn’t producing as many flowers as last year.

 

Nice one @CatDouch , and I don't just mean the dahlias
My D. Howard has just started quite recently too, but that's about the same as last year - the first flower was last week of August. I had one lone flower on it a couple of weeks ago, but plenty of buds now. The slugs make the foliage difficult to get going, and I know I had to 'moat' that one last year as well as this year.
The dark one's very nice. I love those black-ish reds.

I'm going to largely grow them from seed now. It's too much effort trying to store the tubers and keep them from rotting. The few seeds I had left from last year [Bishop's Children] are just starting to open after the slugfest. I've just bought some new seed - Black Forest Ruby, so I'll see how they turn out.

 

A few of mine

 

Picked up quite a few beauties reduced to £1.67 from B&Q the other day. The bees have been loving them.

 

A couple more of mine. Still hoping a few more will flower before the frosts start later this month.
I was wondering whether just to toss the tubers that had performed badly this year. Those which had put on some green leaves but very little growth. Is there any hope they could do better next year?

 

Wild Violet, I grow around 120 dahlias and this is the worst year I've had, I'm keeping the one's that have grown but not flowered as I think the tubers will still be ok and have just had a rest

 

It's always hit and miss with them here @Wild_Violet, but they'll take a reasonable amount of frost before they go over, so there's still time. I have one which was very vigorous last year, but has been poor this year, with only a couple of flowers, and no buds appearing. The handful of seed sown ones I did are starting to perform.
The slugs have been even worse than usual, but the ones I've had in 'moats' have been doing well recently, now that they've recovered. Are you feeding them well? If the tubers are ok, it's worth keeping them until next year if you can.
It's the overwintering that's the hardest part with them though. I can only keep them viable if they come into the house, as the gr'house is too small and gets too damp, and I don't have a porch or conservatory in this house. I've rebuilt my shed, and it's now nice and dry, so I might try a couple in there this year. They couldn't cope the way it was - too damp, which often became icy on the inside.

 

A new dahlia for me this year, Linda’s Baby, the main stem broke off earlier in the summer so this is its first flower, at long last!

 

I’ve got Rip City (loads of flowers) and Cafe au Lait (fewer flowers but stunning) in their first year. My Nathalie and King Arthur have been munched to stalks by molluscs. I used copper rings round the emerging shoots which seemed to work but with adjacent foliage coming up the critters just swing across to munch! I have resorted to head torch forays after dark to hurl the offenders into the neighbouring parkland. I’ll try nematodes next year.

 

I've not got any dahlias yet in the garden, but found a few lovely ones in Goodnestone Park Gardens yesterday.







The last is Wine-Eyed Jill.

 

That top Dahlia is called 'Tonka' we have quite a few in our Dahlia bed where I volunteer in a walled garden, quite new I believe Rowlandscastle.

 

Thank you @Valleysgirl

 

Everything else in my garden is starting to look a bit jaded but the dahlias are such a bonus at this time of year. I must remember this when I’m digging them up and trying to find somewhere to store them!