Dazzling dahlias

Act now and be in for a late-summer sensation

- DIARMUID GAVIN

Dahlias are a staple of the late summer garden and often flower on into autumn.

Their colourful and joyful blossoms have made them a firm favourite with gardeners and they're great as cut flowers.

Now is a good time to buy your tubers and get them into growth so they're ready for planting out as soon as frosts have gone.

As the weather in some places has been unseasonably warm with Crosby in Merseyside hitting nearly 20 degrees in early March, it can be tempting to think it's OK to put tender plants outside.

However in our unpredict-able climate, we can still have frosts in late April and early May. So for the time being keep your dahlia tubers protected somewhere light such as a sunny windowsill or a frost-free greenhouse.

Whether you are buying new tubers or replanting those you dug up and stored from the garden in autumn, plant in some fresh compost and keep the soil moist. As they grow and develop leaves, when they are around 10in tall you can pinch out the top growth back to the top pair of leaves. This will encourage the stem to produce more buds and result in a sturdier, bushier plant with more flowers.