How to grow dahlias

By Daisy Bowie-Sell

Published: Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 12:00 am

After years of being dismissed as old fashioned and garish, dahlias are firmly back in fashion. They are a much loved highlight of the late summer garden, and if deadheaded or cut regularly, they will produce hundreds of flowers until after the first frosts.

Dahlias come in almost every colour imaginable, from cool whites and pale pinks to hotter yellows, oranges and red, to deep magenta and almost black.

Their flower shapes vary greatly, too, ranging from spiky cactus blooms to decorative dahlias, lily-flowered types and the intricate ball and pompon types. The single flowered and anemone types are brilliant for pollinators.

Dahlias combine brilliantly with other late summer flowers such as cannas and ginger lilies for an exotic or jungle look. They also combine very well with ornamental grasses, which peak at around the same time. Dot them through borders or grow them in a dedicated area on a cutting patch or allotment. The more compact varieties grow very well in pots.

Don’t miss our round up of garden designers’ favourite dahlias.

You can grow dahlias from tubers, cuttings or seed. All three methods should produce flowers in the same year.