Dreamy Dahlias
These south-of-the-border natives are late-summer saviors.
Mexico’s national flower, the dahlia comes in varieties to suit everyone’s taste, from spiky cactus to drop-dead-gorgeous dinner-plate, from flirty and demure to full-tilt bold and brassy.
Tips
• The more flowers you cut, the more flowers you get. For longer vase life, pick dahlias before they are fully open.
• When deadheading dahlias, the pointy remains get cut off and the round buds stay.
• Dahlia tubers should be planted outside once the danger of frost has passed and soil temperature has reached approximately 60°F.
• Get a jump on the season by planting the tubers inside, but wait to water them until you see growth above the soil line (they can rot easily).
• Dahlias can get top-heavy, so be sure to stake them. As they grow, tie them to the stake with garden twine.
