Dahlias, one of the perennial plants most often planted in gardens, have been surprising for decades not only with their colors, but also with the size and form of their inflorescences.White, red, yellow, two- and multi-colored, with single, semi-double and full inflorescences, tall and low - each of them is a complete masterpiece of Nature.
These unusual plants found their way to Europe at the end of the 18th century. In 1787, the French government sent an agent to Mexico to steal an insect that produced a priceless carmine-red dye called cochineal at the time.During the mission, a government envoy found a flower of extraordinary beauty - a dahlia.
It was quickly discovered that this plant could be easily propagated and already a hundred years later garden catalogs presented hundreds of unusual varieties. Many years have passed and dahlias are becoming more and more beautiful.These plants owe such great popularity to the record-long flowering period, which lasts from June until the first frost.Dahlias, however, are one of those plants that should be arranged with great sensitivity, because errors resulting from improper combination of colors and forms become immediately visible.
From mid-September to mid-October, dahlias should be dug up (preferably with a wide-toothed forks) and stored in a suitable room over the winter.This treatment must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the underground part.Cut the leaves and shoots about 10 cm above the ground. To avoid mistakes, remember to sign the species that will go to the winter storage.
Dahlia carps are dried in a warm and airy place for a few or a dozen days, then we clean them from the remnants of shoots, leaves and old roots. We place them loosely in containers and store them over the winter at 5-8 ° C, covered with sand or sawdust. It is worth taking care of the right place for the next year's cultivation of dahlias.At the beginning, dig the soil with a large amount of compost or well-distributed manure, and when planting carp in spring, remember to sprinkle multi-component fertilizer.Here, moderation is recommended. : too much nitrogen will affect the flowering force of plants, and their shoots will become excessively bulky.
When the danger of frost is over, in the first half of May, plant dahlias in warm and sunny places.Carps are best planted so that the soil layer above them is 3-5 cm thick.Tall varieties are planted every 60 cm, and short ones every 25 cm. If the rainfall is not enough, the plants should be watered regularly.
Long flowering
In order for dahlias to keep blooming until later in autumn, we need to regularly clean them of faded flowers. In large-flowered varieties, such as 'Jennie', we remove the side buds, thanks to which the main bud can develop splendidly.Flowers for vases are best cut in the early morning, choosing shoots with well-developed buds. Also in this case, it is recommended to remove the side buds from the plants.Cut the lower ends of the shoots diagonally and put the bouquet into the water immediately.
Recommended varieties of dahlias
1. 'Painted Madam' has orange-red inflorescences and belongs to tall varieties.It is best to plant this variety in the back of the bed, and in front of it airy ornamental grasses and a white blooming seaside dragonfly.
2. Pompom dahlias are distinguished by full, spherical inflorescences that look nice not only on sunny days.
3. 'Classic Rosamunde' is a peony dahlia with two or more whorls of tabular flowers arranged around a center of tubular flowers.
4. Tall varieties of dahlias are best planted next to the supports so that their shoots do not break.
5. 'Blackberry Ripple' is a charming representative of cactus dahlias, looking impressive both solo and in a group.
6. 'Kaiser Wilhelm' shimmers in colors from yellow to pink.This is the oldest German variety that we can buy in nurseries.
7. 'Bishop of York' has flowers in a sunny color, beautifully contrasting with the green of the leaves.
We rejuvenate the perennial bed
Late flowering perennials are divided and transplanted mostly in spring.However, this essential gardening work can also be done in October without fear that the plants will suffer a lot of damage.Uneven substrate moisture, e.g.during dry summer, contributes to the infestation of perennials with fungal diseases. Attacked shoots of asters should be cut down after flowering.
1. Dig up the perennial without any shoots with a spade or pitchfork. Wilted or desiccated parts of plants, which are usually found in the center of the plant, are not suitable for planting, but for compost.
2. Before planting, parts of the perennial should be carefully cleaned of weeds. If couch grass has grown badly overgrown with roots, clean them thoroughly, e.g. by rinsing them under running water.Then we plant single shoots in groups.
3. The new site for asters must be carefully weeded, preferably over a larger area around the clump.This will prevent the weeds from growing too quickly between the shoots of perennials.
4. Watering is needed after planting to compact the soil and allow perennials to sprout new roots quickly.
