Dahlias , or in other words -georginie , are beautifully flowering bulbous plants. They are valued for their magnificent inflorescences, in some varieties in the form of huge, vividly colored balls, and a long flowering period - from the beginning of summer until autumn. Meet the most interestingvarieties of dahliasfor garden cultivation. See when is the best time toplanting dahliasand what it looks likegrowing dahliasin the garden.
Dahlias are very popular tubers planted in spring
Dahlias varieties
Dahlias , whose other name isgeorginie , are perennials that form underground root tubers. These plants come from the mountainous areas of Mexico and Guatemala, and were brought to Europe in the 19th century. Possessing numerous decorative qualities and, at the same time, not too high cultivation requirements, they very quickly became the object of interest of breeders. For the first crosses, a variable dahlia (Dahlia pinnata) was used, resulting in very diverse plants as a result of breeding treatments - differing in the height achieved and the shape, size and color of flowers. Breathtakingvarieties of dahliaswith spherical inflorescences, the diameter of which exceeds 20 cm!
Dahlia flowers look good not only on sunny days, but also in worse, cloudy or even rainy weather. The undoubted advantage of dahlias is also long flowering - all summer and autumn, until the first frost.
The diversity of the characteristics of the dahlias varieties obtained made it necessary to divide the dahlias into groups for ordering.However, the newly emergingvarieties of dahliasmean that this division is constantly evolving. We will see it when we look at the archival issues of the Działkowiec monthly. The pages of this magazine in 1998 presented the division of dahlias into 8 groups. In 2004, an article by Dr. Agnieszka Krzymińska from the AR in Poznań was published, in which dahlias were divided into 10 groups. Just 5 years later, in the pages of the same monthly, Dr. Dariusz Sochacki from ISK in Skierniewice, presented the division of dahlias into 13 groups.
Decorative dahlia 'Kelvin Floodlight'
The most popular groups of dahlias include, among others.decorative dahlias , with full inflorescences. Their tongue-shaped flowers (incorrectly called petals by amateurs) are wide and flat, overlapping each other in a tiled shape. Plants in this group reach heights from 100 to 160 cm, so they are quite tall. This group includes varieties such as Bona, Break Out, Garden Wonder, Honka Surprise, Mystery Day, Orange Nugget, Perfection, Wenus, and Wiga.
No less interesting arepompom dahliaswith full, spherical inflorescences, with lingual flowers curled along their entire length. Plants in this group reach 100-140 cm. We find here such varieties as Downham Royal, Apple blossom, Nivea and Nati. "
Pompom dahlia 'Bantling'
Another interesting group iscactus dahliasThey form full inflorescences with lingual flowers sharply ended and curled into a tube. These spiky flowers probably inspired the name of this group of cactus dahlias. Usually these are plants that reach 100 to 160 cm in height. This group includes the varieties Aida, Akita, Bicola, Chat Noir, Color Spectale, Jeanne D&39;arc, Kier, Osiris, Yellow Star.
Theanemone dahlias are also very popular, in which the center of the basket is filled with overgrown tubular flowers forming a convex disc in the center of the inflorescence.Specimens from this group are usually slightly shorter than those discussed above, reaching from 70 every 100 cm in height. We can mention here such varieties as Comet, Giunea or Rock and roll. "
Cactus Dahlia 'Jaldec Joker'
When discussing the most popular groups of dahlias, it is impossible to ignoresingle dahlias , with a single or double lingual flower whorl, with a distinct shield of tubular flowers. They are the lowest of the dahlias described here. The height of these plants usually does not exceed 70 cm. This group includes varieties such as Bambino, Elf, Reddy, Sweetheart and Yellow Hammer.These 5 groups seem to enjoy the greatest, unflagging interest in years. But when visiting a garden shop, our attention may also be drawn to collar, peony, jagged, orchid, water-lily or other dahlias. "
Single dahlia 'Northwest Cosmos'
Planting dahlias
Dahlias can be obtained by sowing seeds. In March, we sow the seeds in pots or litter boxes, cover them with a thin layer of soil, sprinkle them, cover them with foil and keep them at a temperature of about 20 ° C. When they have sprouted and are about 1 cm tall, the foil can be removed. When the seedlings produce 4 leaves, pierce them into small pots or containers (e.g. after yoghurt). They can be planted in the garden from the beginning of May, remembering to harden them first.
Much less troublesome isplanting dahlia carppurchased in a garden store and this method is chosen by most amateur gardeners. When shopping, make sure that each carp you buy has at least one visible bud (those without buds are useless as they will not sprout). Dahlia stalks are best planted from the beginning to mid-May at a depth of about 5 to 7 cm.
Growing dahlias
The position in the garden where we plant seedlings or plant dahlia carps should be sunny, warm and sheltered from winds.Plants will also do well in light partial shade, but their flowers will be less impressive. The best are permeable, humus-rich, well-cultivated soils with a neutral to slightly alkaline reaction (pH 7.0 to 7.2). However, you should avoid heavy and wet soils, because in themthe cultivation of dahliasrather fails.
During vegetation, we provide plants with regular irrigation and fertilization with multi-component fertilizers. Leaf wilting in summer may indicate too little irrigation. On the other hand, excessive development of green leaves, at the expense of poor flowering, indicates nitrogen over-fertilization. Tall varieties must also be secured against breaking shoots by supporting them with stakes. It is best to place the stakes immediately after planting, so as not to damage the plant roots later. If we are not sure whether the planted varieties will propagate well when the shoots reach a height of 10 to 15 cm, it is good to pinch off their tops. Later, remember to remove the over-bloomed inflorescences so that they do not inhibit the development of subsequent flowers.Thanks to these treatments, dahlias should bloom beautifully until the first frost.
How to winter dahlias
Dahlias are not frost resistant and you have towinter dahliasoutside the garden. Their stumps are dug out and stored in a frost-free place. We dig up the stumps of dahlias in the fall, when the shoots are cut off by the first frosts. Then we clean them from the remnants of soil and put them in a warm and dry room to slightly dry them (this will prevent carp from rotting during storage).
After drying the dahlias in a ventilated room, placed in openwork boxes, covered with dry peat, sand , sawdust or even newspapers. The temperature in the storage room should be kept between 5 and 8 ° C. During storage, it is a good idea to check the condition of the carp from time to time and remove any rotting or mold-covered ones.When spring comes, it will be possible to replant the dahlia carp. Just before planting, it is worth dividing them to get more plants.When dividing, remember that each newly acquired carp should have at least one bud.
