Photos of Dahlias 2024

I really loved seeing photos of everyone’s dahlias on the previous forum. It gave me me some great ideas for future purchases, so please post photos of your dahlias as hopefully they’re all getting going now.

Today’s favourite, Cafe au Lait, I’m always amazed by the beautiful colour.


Last week’s favourite, Cornel Brons

A new one this year, I ordered it after seeing it on someone else’s post last year, Wizard of Oz.


Dahlia Jill, every flower seems to be a little bit different.


David Howard, now it’s got going it should produce loads of flowers until the last frost.

 

Carolina Moon - a water lily type.

 

That is beautiful @Ezzie I think that will be going on my list of new dahlias for next year!

 

Overall my dahlias have been poor in comparison to last year but I’m hoping there is still time for more of them to grow and flower.

Last one is Creme de Cassis.
Lovely to see others’ dahlias.

 

Mine are only just starting to flower here and there, mainly because they've been decimated by slugs - and are still being eaten. It's very depressing picking up chewed off stems with nice fat buds, from beside the plants - almost every day

Plenty of time though, so fingers crossed for some flowers. Nice to see other people's pix though

 

@CatDouch as you are in Devon, do you leave your dahlias in the garden over winter? Chat Noir has survived for me like that, but David Howard didn't. I'm assuming the others here definitely lift theirs, as they are further north

 

Still loads of time yet @fairygirl as your location is probably a couple of weeks behind us in the south! Mine have only really got going in the last 2 weeks and I had lots of slug damage too

Fingers crossed for your dahlias, I’ll look forward to seeing your photos

 

Hi @CarolineL no I don’t leave them in the ground over winter. I did in my first year of growing dahlias and about 50% survived so I’ve lifted them ever since.

It’s always a bit of a gamble as you never know how bad the winter will be … for the last 5 years my Salvia Amistad has survived our winters but didn’t survive last year, it was so wet and cold.

 

Yes - late July/early August is about the timing here @CatDouch , although last year I'd got a new one called Neon Splendour which was flowering from June. It already had shoots sprouting when I got it in spring though. It's got a large, fat bud on it.

No chance of leaving them in the ground here, and they can be difficult to keep over winter at all - mine have to be in the house to ensure survival. A conservatory or a porch would be good, but I don't have either at this house. That N.S. one is more robust and I managed to keep it alive in the growhouse in it's pot.

 

@fairygirl - I’ve also been waging a battle against the snails and slugs. I garden very naturally as I get a lot of hedgehogs and I don’t like using slug pellets as a result. I’ve had to ‘exhume’ three dahlias from the garden and put them into pots in order to save them. I think it will be touch and go whether they flower this year.

@CarolineL - yes, I lift mine every year and they get stored in polystyrene fish boxes in my spare bedroom.

Here’s today’s picture. A leftover, lost labelled tuber that got the last, most undesirable slot left in the garden - which amazingly, is also undesirable to the slugs! Now it has flowered, I know it’s Diana’s Memory, a decorative variety of shorter stature - no staking needed.

 

I haven’t got any water lily type dahlias @Ezzie but your two dahlias are definitely making me want some for next year. Love Diana’s Memory

 

Even the pom pom varieties provide nectar for the bees. This bumblebee fell asleep for ages in this dahlia, Cornel Brons, after feeding.

 

First decent flower
Dahlia 'Ambition'



I think there's a tendency to believe that if you have hedgehogs and frogs etc, you'll have fewer slugs and snails, but they only make up a small part of their diet, so it isn't foolproof!
We always have loads of slugs here due to our climate, but they've been hideous this year as we had no winter to speak of to keep them contained a bit. You can see the damage on that dahlia, and that's mostly recent damage. I had to do 'moats' for all of mine this year.
They've also eaten things that never get eaten, or eaten to any great extent, so it's been very difficult.

 

This was supposed to be Rosie Raven. Any ideas what it might be?

 

Pleased to see you’ve got a flower @fairygirl and it managed to evade the slugs! My leaves look very similar to yours, holes everywhere.

I’ve got hedgehogs and frogs in my garden and like you say, slugs must only make up a small part of their diet. When I go out into the garden at night there are huge slugs everywhere, even crawling across our gravel drive, they’d certainly be too big for a frog to eat.