Dahlias at Saddleback

Dahlias at saddleback

Scroll down for how to grow

In the house

At Saddleback Grove, we grow dahlias over summer and autumn so that we can place fresh flowers in the house for your arrival (in season). If the dahlias are still fresh when you leave, please feel free to take them home with you We recommend transporting with the stems in water - a clean, cut off plastic drinks/milk container works well until you get home.

Gift - Unique Seeds

Every year we harvest seeds from our dahlias. We gift these seeds to guests as well as grow some new varieties for our patch.

Dahlias grown from seed are unique and a not a copy of their parent plant. They take some DNA from the plant they are harvested from but also from other plants that the bee has visited.

It is always a lottery to see what will grow and whether you like it! My favourite dahlia at Saddleback was grown this way.

See below for instructions on how to grow from seed (they are a little fussy but still easy to grow)

Not every seed will germinate - they are pollinated naturally so rely on bees to do a good job. We usually have quite a high germination rate.

Seedlings

I usually grow more seedlings than I have room to plant, so any spare in growing season, I leave for guests. Seedlings like the soil to be above 16 degrees and lots of sun. I usually either keep them inside or in a sunny protected spot until it warms up enough to plant out (usually October onwards). Water regularly while they establish. They can be planted in pots too but usually don't do as well.

If you want to be sure to get a seedling, message me early on Instagram (saddlebackgrove) or at saddlebackgrovekiama@gmail.com

Tubers

Every year I need to clear room in my dahlia patch for new varieties or for dividing my favourite dahlias. So some of my dahlia tubers get sacrificed each year!

If you are interested in growing dahlias and will be staying at Saddleback in late winter or spring, message me on Instagram (saddlebackgrove) or at saddlebackgrovekiama@gmail.com and I will leave some out for you when you arrive. This is a good (cheap) way to practice growing dahlias before investing in your favourite tubers. Message me early so I don't give them all away before you arrive!

Plant dahlias from late October onwards with the 'eye' facing upwards. By October you should be able to see the eye, if not wait a while and it will become more obvious. It is on the stem, not the bulbous part of the tuber.

If you don't get frosts and your soil drains well, leave the tubers in the ground for next year and they will flower again.

How to grow

These are just some basics. If you are interested there are a lot of good videos on YouTube. Dahlias like

a lot of sun
to be supported as the blooms get heavy. Tie to a stake or use flower netting like we do at Saddleback
well drained soil. If the ground is soggy the tubers will rot
to be 'pinched out' . Once your plant has several sets of leaves (approx 20-30cm tall), snip or pinch off with your fingers the top part of the plant above a leaf node - this encourages the plant to be bushier rather than taller
to be fertilised during growing season
to be left after flowering for 6-8 weeks before cutting back to give the tubers enough time to prepare for next year
to be dead headed - picking them as flowers is the most fun way to do this!

Growing from seed

Dahlias like conditions to be perfect to germinate - luckily this is easy to achieve at home! This is how I do it:

Start in Spring, earlier if you have somewhere warm and light to grow the seedlings or a heat mat
wet 2 sheets of paper towel and squeeze out so they are not dripping wet
lie flat and place the seeds on the towel spaced out
wet 2 more paper towel sheets as above and place on top of the seeds
place the paper towel seed sandwich into a large ziplock bag and zip it closed
place on top of your fridge (it is warm and typically the right temperature range)
leave for several days. Keep checking as the larger the seedling gets, the more entagled it gets in the paper towel. Some germinate in a couple of days but some take a couple of weeks. After 3-4 weeks I usually give up and throw out any seeds that haven't germinated. I also change wet paper during this time so it is fresh.
Once germinated, plant the seed with the white pointy end downwards into some seed mix (better than normal potting mix but use what you have) and place somewhere light and warm. I plant behind a window indoors and then move them to a protected north facing balcony at home. As I do many at a time, I use seed trays and then transplant to a pot later to let them grow a bit bigger before I plant out in the ground
If growing them inside, you will need to harden off the plant before planting outside. Do this by moving the plant outside for several hours a day, increasing its exposure before you plant it out.