Anyones dahlias blooming?

@Ezzie ive been giving them tomorite on the advice of a comment here and I have some buds!!!

 

Hurrah!
There's still time for flowers to develop @Donna Crossman , and it's only if the weather sharply deteriorates into rough, wet windy stuff, or the temps drop and there's lots of frosts, that the buds/flowers will be affected.
That's what I'm hoping - that we get a bit more reasonably settled weather this month, so that I can enjoy mine a bit longer!
They aren't the easiest of plants to start off with, but you've succeeded. Now you just have to work out how you'll overwinter them! If they're potted, it's a little bit easier, but if they're in the ground, your conditions and climate are the main factors. If you're in a wetter, colder area, with heavier ground, you'd need to lift and store them for winter.

 

Exciting!!!

 

@fairygirl as they are all in pots, so I need to lift them out or can I insulate the top and leave them in?

 

@Donna Crossman - I’m pleased to see that progress is being made. As a rough rule of thumb, those buds with colour showing will be fully open in about 6 days. The bud which is still very green, is about 10/11 days away. Enjoy!

 

Oh how exciting thank you ☺️
I’m so glad I found this forum

 

Looking forward to seeing the photos of the flowers soon @Donna Crossman

 

It largely depends on your conditions and climate re the lifting @Donna Crossman . Some varieties will also manage better than others, so covering them with a suitable mulch or fleece might be enough, especially if they're in a sheltered spot like a house wall. If they stay wet, that's where they struggle, as the tubers just rot off.
I managed to overwinter one that's quite tough, in it's pot, but in my small growhouse, and up off the ground so that no moisture from the soil could affect it. It's grown well, but hasn't flowered as well this year! I had a cutting from that one that grew well, and I left it out in it's pot, and covered [it was in a pot inside an old metal firepit, and covered with the metal lid] and it also survived. As an experiment, I then planted it against the house wall to see how it would do and it was annihilated by slugs.
The ones that were ok were the ones I kept in the house. That's really the only reliable method for me, but in milder, drier parts of the country, some people can successfully keep them outside in the ground, especially if the soil's lighter and freer draining. That isn't very helpful - sorry! You may just have to experiment with a few and see what works best for you.
When you cut them back, and if you're lifting them, it's also important to make sure that any remaining stalk isn't holding lots of moisture, as that can go back into the tuber, so it's good to have them upside down for a while, or on their side, just to make sure they're dried off before storing. That also depends on what they're like at that point, and how/where you're overwintering them.

 

The knowledge on this forum is amazing but what I love the most is how freely and humbly it is given
Thanks again everyone

 

Our dahlias given to us many years ago by our younger son who suddenly died last year are in full flower. No idea the variety but we leave them in the ground all the time and each year they flower more and more. We put some in the village produce show and had a prize.
A real memory of him.

 

My dahlias were slower to flower this year, but they are now looking good overall. I keep mine in pots rather than plant into the borders (no space in the borders).
When it’s time to store them (once the first frosts have come along), I cut the foliage down and then lift the tubers out of the pots, removing as much compost as I can and dry them off to prevent rotting, before wrapping in newspaper and placing in cardboard boxes to over winter in the garage. A bit of a faff, but I find this method works for me.

 

What a wonderful way to remember your son ❤️

 

As winters are mild and not usually wet here and my dahlais have mysteriously increased in number (keep jumping in my trolley) I leave them out in the ground in their own bed. Once they die down we cut off the top growth and then mulch them with grass cuttings and straw and poo from the chicken house. They come back bigger and better every year and flower their socks off.

However, this last winter was long, cool and very wet and so was spring and I reckon half the plants have died and, of those left, flowering is very poor. The only ones that look like they're enjoying life are the Bishop's Children I sowed 4 or 5 years ago. Still, at least I know that the ones left can cope with wet and dry winters. Some are pompom, some spidery and some cactus so it's not flower type that decides who does well.