DAHLIA TUBERS
Coming March 9, 2024!
We love growing dahlias! Each year we divide our tubers so that we can share them with you. Our dahlia tubers will be for sale at Seedy Saturday in Powell River. After that we will update our list available below and will take orders for local pick-up. We have some great varieties available this year.
Local pick-up only this year.
$9 each
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Varieties available in 2024:
All That Jazz - Sold Out
Amber Queen - Sold Out
American Dawn - Sold Out
Apple Blossom - Sold Out
Boom Boom White
Breakout - Sold Out
Brown Sugar
Burlesca
Buttercup
Camano Buzz
Cornel
Cornel Bronze
Daisy Duke
Dark Spirit - Sold Out
Diva
Ferncliff Copper
Ferncliff Pearl
Ferncliff Rusty - Sold Out
Golden Scepter - Sold Out
Great Silence
Hy Suntan
Irish Glow
Isabel
Jomanda
Jowey Nicky
Jowey Mirella - Sold Out
Jowie Winnie
Koko Puff - Sold Out
L'Ancresse
Lark's Ebbe - Sold Out
Linda's Baby
Maarn/Sylvia
Mango Sunset - Sold Out
Milena Fleur
Mission Pixie - Sold Out
Pink Runner
Purple Fox
Seattle - Sold Out
Silver Years
Snoho Doris
Sweet Nathalie
Sweet Suzanne
Valley Rust Bucket
Zundart Mystery Fox
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Dahlia Planting Instructions
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Dahlias are heat lovers and should be planted in an area of full sun for best results. Plant once the soil has warmed up and the danger of frost has pasted. This is roughly end of April or early May in the Powell River area and it varies depending on where you live and where you plan to plant. If the area is near your house or protected and you know that it doesn’t freeze there, you can plant earlier than in a field where a late spring frost might get it.
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Prepare your planting hole by mixing in some good compost, a sprinkling of bone meal and some balanced organic fertilizer. Mix this all in well. Dig a hole 4” deep and place the tuber on its side with the growth eye facing up. Cover with soil. Dahlia plants get to be quite large, so space them about 12 inches apart on all sides.
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Do not water your tubers until you start to see the green growth come up through the soil.
** To get a head start with your tubers, you can pot them up in a bright, warm spot indoors or in a greenhouse. Plant the tubers with the neck up and popping out of the soil – don’t bury them like you would when planting them in the ground. Keep them moist but not soaking. Once they start to grow you will need to water regularly but again not soaking. Once it is time plant them outside, plant the tuber 4” below the soil like usual and fill in the soil around the plant that is now growing. Depending on timing you can have flowers a few weeks earlier this way.
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Dahlia Care
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Once your plants are up through the soil you will want to water consistently.
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Slugs and snails can be a problem when they are first growing up through the soil. If you struggle with slugs, you can protect them until they are large enough to outgrow the slugs by covering them with plastic dome (I have used translucent milk jugs or plastic pop bottles cut in half. it is not pretty, but this stage doesn’t last very long). Slug bait is also an option.
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When the plants are about a foot tall, pinch out or cut off the tap 4” of the growing center. This encourages the plant to branch out from the base and gives you more flowers and longer stems in the end.
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By midsummer tall plants will need some support. Place tall sturdy stakes next to the tubers close to planting time and tie stems to the stake as required. If you have lots of plants in rows, you can corral them but placing study posts around your planting area and running twine from post to post. Usually, two layers is enough.
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Dahlia are not a super long lasting cut flower, but you can get 5-7 days if cut at the right time. For longest vase life, you want to cut them before they are almost fully open. Check the back of the flower head to see that there are no fading petals. Cut them in the cool of the morning or evening into a clean bucket with flower preservative if you have it.