• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • Plant Based Recipes
    • Canning and Food Preservation
    • Salad Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Vegetarian Meals
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Indoor Herb Gardening
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Growing Dahlias

September 7, 2017 by Jeanne

Do you see this dahlia? It’s my first attempt at growing beautiful dahlias and I’m thrilled it survived. Here’s why my little dahlia is so special, and how you can grow beautiful dahlias in your garden, too.

g

Growing Dahlias

I’d never tried to grow dahlias before because I had heard, somewhere through the horticultural grapevine, that they were ‘fussy.’ A fussy plant doesn’t last long in my garden. Between periods of drought, clay soil, and hot summer weather, if you’re a plant, you’ve got to be tough to survive here.

I knew that my grandfather had been fascinated with dahlias and had grown them in his Bellerose, Queens, garden. I don’t remember this because my grandfather died before I was born. The beautiful garden I remember was lush with tomato plants, apple trees, and green grass paths, but no dahlias.

When a friend called me and asked if I wanted some dahlia tubers, I said sure. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Her father had them in a bag in the basement of his home and she had no idea how long they had been stored. We thought perhaps six months, maybe a year…but who knows?

The dahlia tubers arrived, and I planted the last fall. Then I promptly forgot about them – did I mark the spaces where I’d planted them? Of course not. When it came time to dig up the soil and pull out all the crabgrass and wiregrass growing in the flower beds, I forgot all about my poor dahlias. I probably discard them along with the weeds. Ugh! I hate it when that happens!

This summer, a mysterious plant appeared near the boxwood hedge surrounding our water pump. I thought it was a daisy. Then it bloomed. Glowing white flower on top of a tall, thin stalk…and a beautiful cactus-like flower.

dahlia

Here she is, the lone dahlia survivor in my garden. It doesn’t look like much from a distance. But close up…wow!

Growing dahlias isn’t rocket science. They aren’t as fussy as I thought they were, and in fact, they are actually quite tolerant of poor soils. They need abundant bright, full sunlight and good water to get established, but once they have all of that? They’re good to go!

Growing dahlias:

  • Plant dahlia tubers (root parts) in spring after the soil is warm.
  • They cannot tolerate frost, so plant after the frost-free date for your zone. In Virginia, that is generally after Mother’s Day or May 1-15.
  • Plant in any kind of soil.
  • Plant tubers about 6 inches deep.
  • Don’t bother to water them until they start growing. Then, water only if there’s no rain for a week or more.
  • No fertilizer necessary.
  • Mulch the tubers with 1- 2 layers of bark mulch or dig up and store the tubers inside to keep them from freezing in the fall.

And that’s it!

There are so many beautiful dahlias…big ones, small ones, all sizes and colors. I’m smitten. I can’t wait to try more in my garden.

I’m glad that my misconceptions around growing dahlias were changed. They’re a beautiful flower and one that deserves a permanent place in my garden.

Happy gardening. Keep growing!

 

Pin
Share
Tweet
0 Shares

Filed Under: Growing Flowers

Previous Post: « Cranberry Basil Jelly Recipe
Next Post: Identifying Wildflowers »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Featured

logo of the american horticulture society

Explore All Gardening Articles

Seed Starting Basics

Easy Ways to Save Cantaloupe Seeds

plants and tools in a wheelbarrow

Starting Peppers from Seeds

tomato seedlings

Seed Starting Resources

tomatoes on the vine

When Should You Start Tomato Seeds Indoors?

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Disclosure

Home Garden Joyo participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy.

Footer

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

If you’re thinking about building a vegetable garden this year, raised beds are one of the best ways I know of to start a vegetable garden. Instead of renting a rototiller or hand-digging the soil, adding amendments and turning it all under to create a good garden bed, you start with the best soil mixture…

Read More

henbit close up

Henbit: Plant Profile

I’ve put together this henbit plant profile to spotlight a lovely plant – which many gardeners consider a weed. Weed or flower? To me, it’s a matter of perspective. Every spring, at least one of my raised beds is covered in a thick mat of henbit. Henbit is both lovely and practical despite being labeled…

Read More

fresh beets from the garden on the lawn after being washed

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Organic Beets

I wrote this Ultime Guide to Growing Beets to share my techniques for growing tasty, organic beets. Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition. Both the beetroot and the leaves and stems are edible. You can also can beets and beet greens to store them for year-round use. Here, I share with you a full guide…

Read More

a blue wheelbarrow and a red wheelbarrow filled with pine branches

Winter Homesteading Projects

Even though it’s cold and snowy out, winter homesteading projects beckon. As I write this, snow is falling in sheets outside my office windows, covering the orchard trees with a blanket of white. Last week, an ice storm knocked power out for 36 hours – and knocked pines down every which way. We had poles…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme