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First Time Dahlia Grower

7 years ago

Hello all, I was hoping some of you wouldn't mind answering a newbies questions. I am putting a cutting garden in on the slope of my back yard and want to include some dahlias. I am hoping to plant in the new few weeks (1-3), I'm in the Portland area of Oregon and wanted to know if it was too late to plant them this year? I am not too picky on variety but a type I wouldn't have to stake would probably be nice at first though the dinner plate variety is stunning what should I look for to find a variety that can stand on its own? Any suggestions on where to order tubers from? I was looking at some from Michigan Bulb since the are much more affordable then many other places but I am open to others. And will they be able to overwinter ok? most varieties say they are hardy in zone 8 but I wanted to know how everyone else in a similar zone grows them.

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Comments (4)

cicivacation
7 years ago
Lots of growers in the Portland area who left the tubers in the ground have reported high losses this spring. Yes, dahlias CAN overwinter where you are, but excessive rain will drown them. It is hit or miss. Folks with raised beds seem to do the best with overwintering in the ground.

No Staking:
The best place to get those 'border dahlias' that don't grow over two feet is the big-box stores or commercial green houses. You can also grow them from seed, as they will bloom much quicker then the full-sized dahlias and tend to be truer to type then their larger kin.

Sources for dahlias (not border type):
I highly recommend you check out www.dahliaaddict.com for vendors that specialize in dahlias, and don't simply resell Holland pot tubers. The available varieties will AMAZE you.

Most vendors, like me, are shut down for the year, but there are still sellers with extras available. I only sell tubers Jan-April, while others sell Oct-May. It depends on how big of an operation they have, and what they focus on. I'm a hobbiest, and use the funds to feed my dahlia addiction further. I bet most of the vendors on Dahlia Addict are couples or just one person selling tubers on the side. Only a few that I know employ multiple people, and work 24/7 on selling tubers, plants and blooms through the year.

Another source of 'real' dahlias (non-border) are dahlia clubs in your area, that are auctioning or straight-selling off their member's extra tubers/plants to fund club activities. Sadly, you just missed Portland's last auction of the year, which was last night.

Check out a club near you for local growing tips and great dahlia conversation HERE: American Dahlia Society- Local clubs

Hope this helps. Happy hunting!
-CiCi
Sammers510
Original Author
7 years ago
CiCi, Thank you so much for all your information! It would be just my luck that I missed the last auction but it may just end up giving me time to do some more research and get ready for next year. I decided very last minute that I wanted to do this cutting garden instead of a few other ideas I had for the space. I would love to grow the 'real' dahlias and having more time to learn about how to properly stake should help with that. But OMG that website has some beautiful flowers! I may just order what I can get and experiment. I am planting them on a hill so hopefully they wont be sitting in too much water.
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Nice seeing your formby Kaitlyn, Steve. That's one that I was hoping to see in my garden, but only obtained eighteen inches before disappearing under other more vigourous varieties. With luck, I'll have a couple tubers for next year's attempt. Caribbean Fantasy seems a contradiction into itself, with the white, yellow and pink folding back into itself. Glad it did well for you, Mytime. Here's one that recently opened for me, that I've been hearing about from dahlia friends for the last two years... Show & Tell. Well worth the wait, it is absolutely magnificent! Oh, and so is the Praying Mantis.
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I could be wrong about the zone - on a zip code lookup map it tells me 9-10. I am near the coast, and the weather here tends to be much more mild. Those "zones" are pretty broad classifications. Here's a fairly accurate description of where I live: "Salinas, CA climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's. The warmest month of the year is September with an average maximum temperature of 74.60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 39.40 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at Salinas is 15.12 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of 3.00 Inches." We do get some 90 degree days, but only a handful. I had read the FAQ about blossom drop. . .I don't think too hot is going to be my biggest problem. My neighbor (who's in something like his 60th year of planting tomatoes in his backyard across the street - he's 92) said he usually doesn't even plant until around May 1 because it's not warm enough to really get 'em growing; in his words, "they just sit there and look at ya." Maybe I'm misunderstanding the term "frost date." Is it a technical term, or just the last time that you wake up to frozen stuff around you? Stupid question, I know, but I have a feeling I'm not communicating something correctly. Yes, the plants get direct sun for at least 6-8 hours a day (I need to be a little more scientific about it), but it's been a cold spring - it's been in the 50's all this last week with a high of 63 projected for the next week. On the few hot days we have had, the plants have practically grown before my eyes, but they don't grow much during these chilly times. So. . .I can put in a stake without messing up their little root systems? Thanks, Christopher
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They look good. No need to remove flowers. Can you put them outside? They'll need bigger pots or a spot in the garden soon.
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cicivacation
7 years ago
This FAQ might help answer some basic planting/growing questions for you...
Growing Season Questions

Best of luck, and keep us in the loop of how you're doing!

-CiCi
eczekalski
6 years ago
Just starting a few, along with basic research is a great way to get started. I've killed a lot of them along the way and each time, learned more about how to do it right. And if killing something worries you, know that I've also ended up with more tubers than my friends will take. Almost like zucchini, they see me coming...

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