Re: Why don't we grow dahlias?

good results with dahlias require lots of supplemental water during the summer as well as a deep well enriched soil.
I bought some dahlia seeds a few years ago from someone who had a scented one. I saved seeds from the resulting plants and planted the seedlings this year in a new allotment garden.

This was the first year for this allotment which had been a dumping ground for the municipality and a racetrack for kids riding some sort of motorized gizmo - maybe a go kart? The ground was so hard that I couldn't dig it so I used a pick. Only its tip went in - maybe 6 centimetres (a couple of inches). I figured it was me being a weakling, but my husband didn't fare much better. Besides compacted soil, there was a lot of non-soil items: chunks of concrete, metal and broken glass. I'm sure there's lots more still to be discovered next year.

I went to South Africa mid-summer and have just returned to find all the dahlias in bloom. I have a bouquet on my table and I can smell them as I sit nearby.

So - maybe the fancy doubles need coddling, but the singles are tough.

--
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8
cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually)
sandy soil

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