So this is my nth year of trying to grow Dahlias that bloom. Absolutely no luck to date but I am determined to grow these beautiful flowers this year. I now have four different varieties which I am planning to plant this Spring and all I need is to understand the best way to make them thrive. I am hoping that some here have had more luck.
My main problem is determining a slug-free zone and the best position. I am not brave enough to plant them directly in the ground outside a pot because of slug problems and also a general lack of room in the more sunny spots.
Is it possible to grow Dahlias in a pot and if you can then do you need special soil, protection from harsh weather etc?
I have been growing Bishops children successfully for two years but I left the tubers in the pots this year and I think the artic conditions will have done for them
I really can’t understand why you have this long term problem. Do the pots have good drainage holes with a few crocks to stop them blocking up? Are the pots off the ground on pot feet to allow free drainage? Are the tubers the right way up and deep enough. They don’t usually flower till late summer to early autumn and should flower till the first frosts. Good luck this year AnnieS
Perhaps I have been unlucky because in the past I’ve planted them in the ground, probably in the wrong type of soil which doesn’t drain easily. I have some new pots this year and will see how it goes.
I hadn’t heard of pot feet, will look that up. Is it good drainage that is the trick? Do they prefer to be deeper? I’ve had lots of luck with agapanthus in pots, but I do absolutely nothing to help them on, they just keep coming back in the same pot each year. Some bulbs are so fussy and then they suddenly appear after years. I’ve found once bulbs do that they bloom year after year.
