Add the wow factor with Garden-ready dahlias

Forgot to plant dahlia tubers in spring, or simply want to squeeze in a few more? Invest in ready-grown specimens and you'll have instant colour for months

-  Sally Charrett

ANYONE who thought the dahlia trend was just a flash in the pan was wrong – very wrong. Five years after they were deemed to be ‘back’, they are still going strong – and with good reason. Dahlias provide the ‘wow’ factor, summer-long displays and superb value for money. Unlike most other bedding plants, you can keep the tubers going for years – a gardener friend of mine grows dahlias that have been passed down for several generations, and her tubers are the size of the kitchen sink.

If you missed the planting window for tubers, you can buy dahlias from garden centres now, just coming into flower, and get them in the ground or in pots right away. Granted, this is more expensive, but on the plus side you’ll have instant colour that will keep your garden looking great until autumn. And by planting them out with good growth already, you’ll reduce the chance of slug attack.

There’s an awesome range of colours and flower shapes to choose from, but unless you plan to enter dahlia shows you really don’t need to understand the different categories. Just bear in mind that single blooms are the types to go for if you want to attract bees.

Size matters

When choosing what to buy, probably the most important factor to consider is size, so check plant labels for eventual height. At 12ft (3½m) tall, the tree dahlia (Dahlia imperialis) will be a talking point with the neighbours, but 3-5ft (90cm1.5m) dahlias are more realistic options for the average garden. As a general rule, any dahlias over 3ft (1m) high will need staking, so if you don’t want to bother, go for dwarf types that will only grow to knee height; these are great in pots and at the front of borders.