I'm wondering how best to over-winter my dahlias in my London garden.
Last year I dug up the "posh" ones ('Bishop of Llandaff', 'Moonfire'
and seed-grown Dahlia coccinea var palmeri) but left some others in the
ground. In spring all the ones left in the ground came back, whereas I
had a few casualties amongst my stored tubers. I'm tempted to keep the
lot in the ground and cover them with mulch, but my concern is that
they might not survive if we have a wet winter (last year, although we
had a few very cold days, was pretty dry). Or am I behind the times
and do most people in the south of the UK leave their dahlias in the
ground over winter as a matter of course? If not, any tips on how to
prevent the stored ones from rotting?
Thanks.

"Ornata" wrote
I'm wondering how best to over-winter my dahlias in my London garden.
Last year I dug up the "posh" ones ('Bishop of Llandaff', 'Moonfire'
and seed-grown Dahlia coccinea var palmeri) but left some others in the
ground. In spring all the ones left in the ground came back, whereas I
had a few casualties amongst my stored tubers. I'm tempted to keep the
lot in the ground and cover them with mulch, but my concern is that
they might not survive if we have a wet winter (last year, although we
had a few very cold days, was pretty dry). Or am I behind the times
and do most people in the south of the UK leave their dahlias in the
ground over winter as a matter of course? If not, any tips on how to
prevent the stored ones from rotting?

We leave our plants in, both at home where they are just left and down on
the exposed allotments where we use straw as a mulch.
The only casualty we have had, and we have always left them in, was a
species, Dahlia imperialis, that didn't come up this year although it's been
out for a few before without problems. (A cutting from that survives in a
friends garden and it's now well over 12ft high but still no flowers) I
suspect it was something other than frost that killed it.
The only problem is that if you mulch and don't remember to slug pellet them
in the spring, the slugs, under the mulch, eat the tips as quickly as they
grow so it can seem they haven't survived.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

On 21/9/05 11:50 am, in article , "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


"Ornata" wrote
I'm wondering how best to over-winter my dahlias in my London garden.
Last year I dug up the "posh" ones ('Bishop of Llandaff', 'Moonfire'
and seed-grown Dahlia coccinea var palmeri) but left some others in the
ground. In spring all the ones left in the ground came back, whereas I
had a few casualties amongst my stored tubers. I'm tempted to keep the
lot in the ground and cover them with mulch, but my concern is that
they might not survive if we have a wet winter (last year, although we
had a few very cold days, was pretty dry). Or am I behind the times
and do most people in the south of the UK leave their dahlias in the
ground over winter as a matter of course? If not, any tips on how to
prevent the stored ones from rotting?

We leave our plants in, both at home where they are just left and down on
the exposed allotments where we use straw as a mulch.
The only casualty we have had, and we have always left them in, was a
species, Dahlia imperialis, that didn't come up this year although it's been
out for a few before without problems.
snip
Sorry to hear that, Bob. ;-) We will have to try to remember to send you
a rooted cutting from the one that David Hill gave us. It's much, much more
interesting than the one we gave you which, I assume, is the casualty you're
talking about? At present we're trying to get a definite ID between
D.excelsa and D.imperialis - or maybe yet another. David's doesn't grow as
tall as ours (which we think is D. imperialis) but it grows to around 5' or
so and the flower is a lovely colour of pinky/purple and is double. It's
flowering now. The one we gave you is around 10' in the garden and through
the roof in the big double greenhouse - maybe 20' - but isn't flowering and
it has to be said that when it does, it's never going to set the Dahlia
world on fire!
And to Dahlia lovers (I only like the Cactus type) may I recommend
Engelhardt's Matador which we obtained from
http://www.jrg-dahlias.co.uk/index.htm via mail order. It is absolutely
gorgeous, a wonderful colour and with bronze foliage. It's stunning.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:50:43 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


"Ornata" wrote
I'm wondering how best to over-winter my dahlias in my London garden.
Last year I dug up the "posh" ones ('Bishop of Llandaff', 'Moonfire'
and seed-grown Dahlia coccinea var palmeri) but left some others in the
ground. In spring all the ones left in the ground came back, whereas I
had a few casualties amongst my stored tubers. I'm tempted to keep the
lot in the ground and cover them with mulch, but my concern is that
they might not survive if we have a wet winter (last year, although we
had a few very cold days, was pretty dry). Or am I behind the times
and do most people in the south of the UK leave their dahlias in the
ground over winter as a matter of course? If not, any tips on how to
prevent the stored ones from rotting?

We leave our plants in, both at home where they are just left and down on
the exposed allotments where we use straw as a mulch.
The only casualty we have had, and we have always left them in, was a
species, Dahlia imperialis, that didn't come up this year although it's been
out for a few before without problems. (A cutting from that survives in a
friends garden and it's now well over 12ft high but still no flowers) I
suspect it was something other than frost that killed it.
The only problem is that if you mulch and don't remember to slug pellet them
in the spring, the slugs, under the mulch, eat the tips as quickly as they
grow so it can seem they haven't survived.

This was discussed on GQT last Sunday, after tests at the GQT garden,
and the general feeling was to leave them in.

Pam in Bristol

The message . com
from "Ornata" contains these words:

I'm wondering how best to over-winter my dahlias in my London garden.
Last year I dug up the "posh" ones ('Bishop of Llandaff', 'Moonfire'
and seed-grown Dahlia coccinea var palmeri) but left some others in the
ground. In spring all the ones left in the ground came back, whereas I
had a few casualties amongst my stored tubers. I'm tempted to keep the
lot in the ground and cover them with mulch, but my concern is that
they might not survive if we have a wet winter (last year, although we
had a few very cold days, was pretty dry). Or am I behind the times
and do most people in the south of the UK leave their dahlias in the
ground over winter as a matter of course? If not, any tips on how to
prevent the stored ones from rotting?

Leave them all in the ground is my advice.

--

,,,
}»«üüüü(@
´ ´

"Sacha" wrote after
"Bob ((SNIP))
We leave our plants in, both at home where they are just left and down on
the exposed allotments where we use straw as a mulch.
The only casualty we have had, and we have always left them in, was a
species, Dahlia imperialis, that didn't come up this year although it's
been
out for a few before without problems.
snip
Sorry to hear that, Bob. ;-) We will have to try to remember to send
you
a rooted cutting from the one that David Hill gave us. It's much, much
more
interesting than the one we gave you which, I assume, is the casualty
you're
talking about? At present we're trying to get a definite ID between
D.excelsa and D.imperialis - or maybe yet another. David's doesn't grow
as
tall as ours (which we think is D. imperialis) but it grows to around 5'
or
so and the flower is a lovely colour of pinky/purple and is double. It's
flowering now. The one we gave you is around 10' in the garden and
through
the roof in the big double greenhouse - maybe 20' - but isn't flowering
and
it has to be said that when it does, it's never going to set the Dahlia
world on fire!

It may not flower but is an amazingly archetectral plant and the one in my
friends garden is truely wonderful this year, huge leaves all the way up
multiple stems, anyone that saw it would want one (if they had the room).
Certainly ideal for a tropical looking garden, perhaps Great Dixter should
get one or more.

And to Dahlia lovers (I only like the Cactus type) may I recommend
Engelhardt's Matador which we obtained from
http://www.jrg-dahlias.co.uk/index.htm via mail order. It is absolutely
gorgeous, a wonderful colour and with bronze foliage. It's stunning.

And so is "Berger's Record" (my favourite) and if you are a F1 fan you will
know it has to be Ferrari red and spiky.
http://www.formulaone.free-online.co...ivers/gberger/

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

In article , Sacha
writes

We will have to try to remember to send you
a rooted cutting from the one that David Hill gave us. It's much, much more
interesting than the one we gave you which,


I received a HUGE fimbriated pale cream/yellow one last year which was
fantastic but didn't come up again this year. David no longer has it. It
had a Japanese name I think, Tsuki-ytori-no-shisha, absolutely
wonderful dahlia, definitely a show stopper.


And to Dahlia lovers (I only like the Cactus type) may I recommend
Engelhardt's Matador which we obtained from
http://www.jrg-dahlias.co.uk/index.htm via mail order. It is absolutely
gorgeous, a wonderful colour and with bronze foliage. It's stunning.

Oh yes .. rather! Wonderful intense colour Sacha, many thanks for the
plant which is flowering now. Intense magenta purple and very
distinctive.

Janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message

I received a HUGE fimbriated pale cream/yellow one last year which was
fantastic but didn't come up again this year. David no longer has it. It
had a Japanese name I think, Tsuki-ytori-no-shisha, absolutely wonderful
dahlia, definitely a show stopper.

I have the white version 'Tsuki Yorine Shisha' medium cactus, but this year,
it was a slow-grower (only 90 cm high) - I think the cold snap in April was
to blame.
Re overwinter storage. My lifted tubers are dried for one week (upside-down)
wrapped in shredded newspaper and stored in the loft. I then transplant them
into the greenhouse soil in mid March..
On shooting, they are potted. Those which produce more than one shoot, I may
split and dust wound with sulphur. With 'Lavendale' and 'Black Monarch' I
managed to get 4 plants from the splitting - but this is unusual.
Casualty rates (lifted or left in soil) is between 5 and 10%. Unsure if
caused by weather or desease.
Pete

In article , Ivor Biggin-Hill
writes

I have the white version 'Tsuki Yorine Shisha' medium cactus, but this year,
it was a slow-grower (only 90 cm high) - I think the cold snap in April was
to blame.

Oh, I do have two dahlias that are ages behind and are still only just
budding up, perhaps one of them is my lovely fimbiated one. Thanks ..
I'll go and keep and eye on them now


Re overwinter storage. My lifted tubers are dried for one week (upside-down)
wrapped in shredded newspaper and stored in the loft. I then transplant them
into the greenhouse soil in mid March..

Could you put fleece over them during winter or is mulch enough ? Are
some dahlia types more susceptible to frost than other types?

janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message

In article Ivor Biggin-Hill

Re overwinter storage. My lifted tubers are dried for one week
(upside-down)
wrapped in shredded newspaper and stored in the loft. I then transplant
them
into the greenhouse soil in mid March..

Could you put fleece over them during winter or is mulch enough ? Are
some dahlia types more susceptible to frost than other types?

I'm not familiar with fleece, but I use horse manure, which has a very high
% of straw in it.
At the National Collection, they use a mulch which looks a bit like
decomposed pine needles, but I could be wrong.(I wish I'd asked them, when I
was at the show last month) They also use this as a weed supressant
throughout the year. You could drop them an e-mail and ask for a free copy
of their 2006 catalogue http://www.wgltd.co.uk/index.html