Dahlia Tuber Advice

You could get Rooted Cuttings from the National Dahlia Collection:

http://www.national-dahlia-collection.co.uk/en/

lots of choice, about £2 each, but you will only get a rooted cutting (and ordering now probably not until May), so it may not be a huge plant this year, but it will make a nice set of tubers by the end of the year and thus put on a good display in future years.

If they have what you want, then Anglia Bulbs have always given me good quality stuff, and their Dahlias are reasonably priced (and you will be buying tubers, rather than a small cutting)

http://www.angliabulbs.com/dahlia-tubers/

Try not to spend your life's savings on other bulbs whilst you are there

 

Hi Woo. I bought some from Costco last year and they were top notch and a very good price

See post numbers 593 and 601 on this thread.

 

If you want to grow for showing I would try to find someone who is a show man (look for adverts in gardening papers)they would advise you on what to grow,Pom's should be no more than 2" round if you intend showing.I don't know if you have been to shows and watched them setting up their flowers but you will see them use a set of plastic rings which give them the size of the flower should be ,these pass over the flower without touching the petal's. Also if you are at a show talk to some of them if they are like some of the chaps I met on our local show rounds they would maybe even offer to show you their set up and give you a few tubers that they don't want.

 

I sowed some dahlia seeds (yankee doodle dandy)at the beginning of the month and I must say, they germinated after 3-4 days
Now they are getting or got, their 3rd pair of leaves should I stop them for bushier growth or just let them grow as they are?

 

A nice simple youtube video, from Sarah Raven , on Dahlia tuber planting...............

 

I wish I had Sarah's polytunnel!!!

Val

 

Yes Val , she is a very posh gardener with a very posh polytunnel !

 

Sissinghurst ...

 

On this video Sarah mentions the name of an electric blanket, I can't recognise what she is saying can anyone else?

Val

 

"Pop that onto the bed with capillary matting and a horticultural electric blanket" - I expect its just some soil warming cables (in a bed of sand or somesuch)

 

Ah yes, seems obvious now that you have told me!!!

Val

 

I just stuck a couple of Plums in my mouth and found I could understand it easily