At their March 11 2015 meeting, Northumberland Master Gardeners were pleased to welcome Marian Jean of Oakridge Dahlias. Marian provided many beautiful pictures and a great deal of information on growing dahlias.
Dahlias come in a large variety of heights and flower colours, styles and sizes.
In our Zone 5 gardens, dahlias do not over winter so must be dug and stored indoors each winter. Dahlias should be planted out when lilacs bloom and should be dug up after first frost or by Oct 01.
Dahlias prefer rich, sandy, well drained soil with a ph between 6.5 and 7. They need a minimum of 6 hours per day of sun and 1 inch of water per week. They are heavy feeders preferring manure, compost, decomposed leaves. If using fertilizer choose a low nitrogen one.
Dahlias make a beautiful addition to the late summer garden.
www.oakridgedahlias.ca