A garden without dahlias or georgines, as the pretty summer flowers are also called, is hardly imaginable. Few ornamental plants bloom as long and are as easy to care for as dahlias. However, the prerequisite is that you replant the non-hardy dahlia tubers every year.

Dahlias can be planted both outdoors and in pots

Are dahlias only planted in the garden or also in pots?

You can place dahlias in the flower bed as well as in pots or tubs on the balcony or terrace.

Small dahlia varieties can even be planted in the window box.

Should dahlias be preferred?

Since dahlias can only be planted outside in spring due to the risk of frost, it is worth growing them indoors from March. Then they form flowers.

Georgians can also be sown. Sowing is carried out in March on the windowsill. Seeds are kept light, warm and moderately moist until germination. They are then planted individually or immediately in individual pots.

The dahlias that have been pushed out are not allowed to go outside before the end of May, since night frosts occasionally still occur up to that point. Potted dahlias are more likely to be placed on the patio or balcony. But bring the pots indoors if sub-zero temperatures are expected at night.

Which location do Georgians prefer?

  • Sunny
  • Warm
  • sheltered from the wind

Dahlias tolerate direct sunlight. In the shade, they do poorly or not bloom at all.

Georgians can be planted in the same spot every year if you make sure the soil gets enough nutrients.

Larger dahlia varieties should be planted in a wind-protected place so that the heavy flower heads do not break off in the wind. Supports to which the shoots with the flowers are tied are also helpful.

When is the best planting time?

Dahlia tubers may be planted in prepared planting holes in the garden from the end of April. Do not put dahlias that have been pushed outside until after the ice saints, as the risk of night frosts is too great before then.

How should the soil be prepared?

Loosen the soil deeply. Enrich it with compost, cattle manure (€18.80) and horn shavings (€32.93). The soil must be water-permeable to prevent waterlogging. You should mix compacted soil with sand.

How are georgines planted correctly?

Dig a planting hole about 1.5 times as deep as the tubers are long. Place the dahlia bulbs in the planting hole with the root neck up. New shoots grow from the neck, not from the tubers.

What planting distance must be observed?

The planting distance depends on the dahlia variety. As a rule of thumb, the distance should be half of the later height of the dahlia.

When is the dahlia in bloom?

Dahlias bloom from July. The flowering period lasts well into autumn. The flowering period ends after the first frost. Flowering is stimulated by regularly thinning out faded flowers.

How are dahlias propagated?

Propagation takes place via:

  • Dividing the dahlia tubers
  • cuttings
  • seed

The tubers are divided at the end of April and planted immediately. Make sure that you only plant healthy parts that have at least one eye.

From January, break off cuttings from the tubers that have been pushed out and let them grow indoors. For this you have to get the tubers out of the winter quarters in good time.

The seed is sown indoors in March. It can be harvested from the dahlias in the garden in summer. However, the new dahlias are not always of the same variety, but can have completely different colors and shapes.

Are dahlias hardy?

Georgians are not hardy. The plants are cut down and dug up in the fall. The tubers must dry for some time before they are overwintered indoors - preferably in the basement.

In very mild areas, dahlias can also be wintered outside if they are well protected from light frosts. However, you have to reckon with losses, also because voles like to eat the tubers.

Are dahlias suitable for family gardens?

Not only are dahlias non-toxic, they're actually edible. The leaves can be used in salads, the flowers make a pretty decoration for soups and other dishes. They can also be used to make a very delicate liqueur. The Aztecs used the dahlia bulbs as food.

You can therefore plant dahlias in the family garden without worrying or care for them on the balcony or terrace.

Do georgines get along with other ornamental plants?

Dahlias look very decorative with other summer flowers such as sunflowers, gladioli and cosmea. They get along with all other ornamental plants that have the same requirements in terms of location and soil.

tips and tricks

Dahlias are the national flower of the state of Mexico. The long stems were already used by the Aztecs to store water. The Aztec name of the dahlia is "acocotli" and means water reservoir.

Category:

Vegetable garden