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Among the Flowers – Delightful Dahlias

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A large assortment of dahlias of different varieties and colors is laid on a grey-colored wooden picnic table.

Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower

-John Harrigan

Dahlias Delight

I don’t think many people need a reason to grow dahlias, and for those of us that love them in colder zones like New York where they don’t overwinter it’s a labor of love to grow, store, and plant them year after year.

For a glorious few months in the late summer and early fall they pour out blooms as fast as you can cut them, but for much of the year they are dry tubers stored in a basement or just green foliage emerging from the soil.

A few of my favorite varieties

  • Hollyhill bewitched & black beauty – a deep purple red almost black, and white/deep almost black
  • Creme de Cassis – a beautiful creamy ivory face with deep purple edges/backs of petals
  • Bacardi – magenta and deep purple
  • Penhill Watermelon & Dark Monarch – dinnerplates with twisted petals in salmon pink/peach and complex pink/purple gradient
  • Big Brother – dinnerplate with twisted petals in honey/orange tones
  • Chewy & Crichton Honey – two ball varieties with pink/peachy colors, the blooms change with different temps
  • Snowbound – beautiful large white blooms
  • Platinum Blonde – white single ring of petals surrounding a creamy white pom center
A large assortment of dahlias of different varieties and colors is laid on caftan blanket draped on an Adirondack chair
A large assortment of dahlias of different varieties and colors is laid in a basket on a grey-colored wooden picnic table.
A handful of pink and white dahlias are laid on a grey Adirondack chair
A large assortment of dahlias of different varieties and colors is laid on a grey-colored wooden picnic table. View from above shows a stone patio beneath the table
A large assortment of dahlias of different varieties and colors is laid on a grey-colored wooden picnic table. View looks across the picnic table towards a stone path, raised beds full of flowers and greenery, and the side of the house.
A hand holds an assortment of dahlias of different varieties and colors. A stone path, raised garden beds, and wooded area are in the background
A hand holds an assortment of dahlias of different varieties and colors. A grassy lawn, meadow, and wooded area are in the background

Planting & Storing in Colder Zones

A note on ordering tubers – with almost every supplier and every order I have gotten incorrect colors/blooms not matching what I ordered. It’s so hard to get some of these varieties, so proper storage is the safest way to get them in your garden from year to year. I have been so sad when a variety I loved didn’t survive storage because they often are sold out before spring and then it’s at least two years before you even have a chance to see that flower again. So feel free to practice and perfect growing and storing them for a year or two before you invest in expensive varieties.

Planting in the spring

  • Remove and inspect tubers for damage – do not plant any that have rotted, tubers should feel like a potato dry but firm not squishy
  • Planting is relatively straightforward, but for the first time grower they often arrive as individual tubers or clusters
  • After all chance of frost has passed, plant them just below the surface (if there is a stem facing up) but if just a single tuber lay it on its side and their sprouts will grow towards the light. If it’s later in the season you may see an eye or stem emerging. If you have stored them or want to make sure they are viable you can wait until this emerges to plant knowing it may delay bloom time (which is tragically short in some regions)
  • Slugs are the main pest as new green growth emerges I sprinkle slug bait to prevent them
  • After slugs overwatering is the main concern, and later flowers are vulnerable to thrips and others pests depending on your area. Some gardeners bag the blooms to prevent damage but I find the pest pressure has always equalized by that time for me.
  • They benefit from cooler temps and water only once their green growth and feeder roots have established.

Process to dig and store dahlias at the end of the season

  • After a frost has killed the blooms and foliage you can cut back the stems and carefully dig up your dahlia clumps. I use a hori but some people use a garden fork.
  • After you have lifted them out of the soil, rinse, inspect and trim broken or damaged sections
  • If you choose to divide them now give them time to dry and heal
  • Organize and label – this part is so important if you want to group like colors or heights. I use cut up sections of yogurt containers with sharpie to add labels in bins and transfer to the soil. If i need to rewrite them I use alcohol to wipe off sharpie
  • Add storage material like wood chip bedding or peat moss and store in a cool/dark place like an unheated basement. It must not go below freezing or tubers will not survive
Raised flower beds next to the house with a stone path running down the middle. Foliage has been cut back.
Raised flower beds next to the house with a stone path running down the middle. Foliage has been cut back.
Raised flower with dahlia tubers that have been dug out for winter storage
Dahlia tubers ready for storage in a cardboard box with wood chip bedding material. Plastic tags made from cutting a yogurt container have the dahlia name written on them for easier identification when replanting in the spring
Dahlia tubers ready for storage plastic storage bins and cardboard boxes with wood chip bedding material. Bins and boxes are stacked on grey picnic table and benches to be organized for winter storage

From Garden to Vase

I tend to display my dahlias individually in vintage glass bottles or vintage milk glass bud vases. I sometimes add them into arrangements but find they have a much shorter vase life than other blooms and prefer to be able to change them out quickly.

Dahlia blooms in vintage glass bottles and milk glass bud vases in living room with black painted walls and grey couches. Dahlias are arranged on wooden coffee table at center and on mantle above fire place
Dahlia blooms in vintage glass bottles and milk glass bud vases in living room with black painted walls and grey couches. Dahlias are arranged on wooden coffee. View is across table towards windows and door
Dahlia blooms in vintage glass bottles and milk glass bud vases in living room with black painted walls. Dahlias are arranged on mantle above fire place with monstera plant, candles, and a birds nest on a stand in a cloche
Dahlia blooms in vintage glass bottles and milk glass bud vases in living room with black painted walls and grey couches. Dahlias are arranged on wooden coffee table at center and on mantle above fire place
Assortment of dahlias of different colors and varieties arranged in blue glass vintage bottles and a blue vase on marble mantle.
Large bouquet of flowers including dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, on a grey wooden table. Chairs, grass, and a fountain can be seen in background
Large bouquet of flowers including dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, on a grey wooden table. Chairs, grass, and trees can be seen in background
Large bouquet of flowers including dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias arranged in blue glass vintage bottles, milk glass vases, and a blue vase on marble mantle. Brass candle sticks with white candles, a black wall, and artwork in background

Want to find all my favorite flowers in the garden? You can find the whole series at link below
Among the Flowers

among the flowers – Cultivating a Wildflower Meadow

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A hand holds an assortment of wildflowers of different varieties and colors. A grassy lawn, meadow, and wooded area are in the background

One of our first projects on the property was cultivating a wildflower meadow. We planted this from seed and later added plugs and propagated existing plants as we weeded the meadow.

a living tapestry

A meadow is a mercurial changing thing. It inherently wants to revert back to forest so its creation and management have to keep this in mind. We mow each spring after temperatures are warm and before the first plants get too high – some years we use a string trimmer and others a mower depending on the conditions. Leaving the meadow to overwinter allows for natural succession of seedheads and provides cover to overwintering insects and forage habitat for wildlife.

Since most native wildflowers are perennial they will bloom year to year but often take several years to get established. Each season there are different things in bloom and each year the success of different species can be influenced by weather conditions from that year or the year prior.

meadow in spring
meadow in spring
meadow in summer
meadow in summer
meadow in fall
meadow in fall
meadow in winter
meadow in winter

invasive plant management

Our main invasives were stiltgrass, thistle, mugwort, bindweed, and a few others. In the first summer we pulled 20+ bags of stiltgrass and by years 4/5 we were not pulling any. We allowed the surrounding wildflowers to seed into those spots or cut seed heads and dropped them in areas we weeded.

pollinator paradise & wildlife haven

Beyond the beauty of the meadow planting, there is the benefit to native pollinators. Each seasonal bloom is either host to caterpillar or adult pollinators, sometimes both. One great example of this is the relation between milkweed and the monarch butterfly whose population decline has been directly linked to reduction of habitat. Because milkweed is toxic to cattle many farmers spray fields with herbicides meant to curb its growth. Milkweed is the only food source monarch caterpillars can feed on, so the reduced numbers of this plant have led to a steep decline. Habitats with milkweed support these butterflies life cycle and in turn bring their beauty to the landscape and garden. The same links exists between native bees, moths, fireflies, and birds. In 2020 we registered our property as a monarch waystation and pollinator habitat conservation program.

planting plugs in the meadow
planting plugs in the meadow
wild turkey and deer in the early spring meadow
wild turkey and deer in the early spring meadow

Native Plants – Northeast

A non exhaustive list of the native plants that have thrived in our particular meadow. There are more that have been short lived and for whatever reason do not thrive in this portion of our property – examples are cardinal flower, swamp milkweed, and baptisia that grow on other parts of the property

Meadow species both planted and offered include both perennials which die back to the ground and thicket species at edges of property and in swales:

  • asclepias “common milkweed”
  • penstemon digitalis – native foxglove
  • echinacea purpurea – “coneflower”
  • mondarda “bee balm”
  • black eyed susan, brown eyed susan
  • mountain mint
  • fleabane
  • ny ironweed
  • solidago – “goldenrod” multiple species
  • buttonbush
  • elderberry
  • wild raspberry
  • willow
  • cattails
  • blue flag iris
  • a huge variety of grasses, thrush, and sedge species
milkweed in the meadow
meadow flowers
blooms throughout the meadow
grass meets meadow full of blooms

Be crumbled. 
So wild flowers will come up where you are. 
You have been stony for too many years. 
Try something different. 
Surrender.

Rumi

Follow our journey in growing and share in our experience and lessons learned from nature with more posts from In the Garden

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