Talk to me about Dahlias

[NitaX]

I planted a few plants last year, and thanks to the mild winter they came back! So, I'm thinking of adding some to one of my garden beds so that I don't have to worry about putting out annuals every year. I'm in zone 7b and I know these are hardy at zone 8. Anyone have any luck with them overwintering frequently?

[mouse]

I'm 8b, so I just leave them in the ground. Um, they're my favorite flowers and not that hard to grow. I think most people make them sound harder than they are. But I don't care if I lose a few here and there either. Mostly I cover them with straw after they die completely back and then apply Sluggo diligently because they're almost as tasty as delphiniums to slugs. I've only been growing them 4 years, haven't had any major problems nor have I has to divide them yet.

Www.dahlias.com has some good info, a little on the finicky side, but clear instructions if you want to do it right. They're local to me (& where I got my wedding flowers). If you buy tubers from them they're a little on the pricey side, but I'd vouch for their quality over what I've picked up at Costco and the dreaded depot. More interesting varieties too. I get lots of passersby asking about Myrtle's Folly.

[NitaX]

I'm been doing a little research around the interwebz, and a few folks in the GardenWeb forum just leave them in the ground (zone 7, and7b). I think I may just go ahead and buy some tubers. I planted vinca in my annual flower bed, but they aren't doing as well as I would like. So, I'm considering ripping them out and just putting the dahlias in. Tulip World is running a half off sale, so I figure it can't hurt to try them out.

Have you planted the ones from seed before?

[dirtyred]

I'm in 5b and I've had dahlias in the ground that have survived the winter.

[mouse]

I haven't tried them from seed. I was under the impression that from seed they're more like annuals, but it doesn't look like that's the case. I have successfully propagated by a cutting before. I accidentally clipped off a stem, so I plopped it in the ground and Walla! new plant. The flower came up true too.

[kzoomaggie]

May 21, 2012 19:49:36 GMT -5 dirtyred said:

I'm in 5b and I've had dahlias in the ground that have survived the winter.

This is good to know... I am also in 5b and I bought dahlias with the thought that they wouldn't last the winter. Maybe I'll just leave them in the ground and see what happens!