Hope 2022 is your best dahlia growing year yet!

There are some parts of North America where dahlias are growing. If I lived in parts of Florida or California where frost is a rarity, I might be planting tubers later this month. (See when to expect the last frost in your area here.) This will get them growing, before the really hot days arrive. 

Dahlia tubers do not need a rest period. Under the right conditions, they can be dug, divided, and re-planted immediately. Although the growing season is expanding, (see some comments on this topic here), for most of us, our tubers are in hibernation, while we shovel snow. Pictured left is "Snowbound" an A ID W dahlia. Don't understand the abbreviations? Learn about dahlia classification at Dahlia University.

Here in Northern Virginia, I have previously experimented by bringing some late-blooming tubers out of storage in late February and potting them in shallow trays with a heat pad set at 70°F. I was disappointed that no eyes appeared for six weeks. I concluded that it was possibly a combination of light and temperature that stir tubers into activity. Then again, come March and April eyes and shoots began to grow from tubers still stored in vermiculite.

Expert grower Kristine Albrecht has developed a technique to get an early start. Check out her video.

January is the month to imagine what you want to see in your garden during August. Look on the Internet for the offerings by dahlia sellers. See the ADS advertisers on the ADS website. Please support our advertisers. The sales of tubers have been going gangbusters and a lot of the favorites are “sold out”. Another source to research sellers is the Dahlia Addict website. This site has a long list of dahlia sellers and easy links to individual webpages.

Then in early spring, don’t forget tuber and plant sales by your local societies. You’ll get tubers that grow well in your area, advice from local growers, and maybe make some new dahlia friends.

A recent issue of the UK magazine Garden News has an article by English grower Dave Gillam, looking back on 2021. He specializes in growing giant dahlias for competition. When he plants, usually cuttings, he buries two pairs of leaf nodes underground. At the end of June, he nips off any growing tips or shoots growing above ground, thus forcing growth from the buried leaf nodes. He grooms the plant so that there only three blooms. He has won major awards at the shows using this technique.

It is supposed to snow here in Falls Church this afternoon. This might be a good time to look at the photos submitted to the first ever People’s Choice Award for the 2021 ADS Photo Contest, and place my vote.

Enjoy the winter break, we will be working hard in the garden soon,

Harry Rissetto