Let's get dahlias going

Ruth pots up tubers and demonstrates taking cuttings

- Ruth Hayes

Dahlias will flower well into the autumn and should be started now undercover

DAHLIAS are one of our most popular summer and autumn plants and despite their brilliant glamour and exotic colours and shapes, they are relatively easy to grow, and pretty trouble-free.

If you lifted your tubers in the autumn, or have bought some fresh ones this spring, now is the time to get them started undercover.

Gritty compost for rooting cuttings

Dahlias are not reliably hardy so it’s best to pot them up in compost and set them in a greenhouse or porch or on a windowsill indoors if you have space.

If you are returning to tubers you salvaged last year, check they have remained firm and healthy through the winter and discard any that feel soft or smell bad.

Shoots appearing from potted tubers