Perennial
Garden dahlia
Dahlia pinnata
A tuberous perennial group with an enormous range of flower forms, colours and mature sizes, blooming from midsummer until frost. It needs full sun, feeding, watering and winter protection where the ground freezes.
- Size
- 0.3–1.8 m high · 0.3–0.9 m wideVaries by cultivar
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Winter
- Frost sensitive
- Seasonal form
- Dies back
- Maintenance
- High
Before planting
- Check the cultivar before planting because final height, flower size and the need for staking vary greatly.
- Choose a sunny, fertile, well-drained bed and plan winter storage or reliable frost protection in a freezing climate.
- Keep the plant away from pets that may chew it; ingestion can cause mild digestive signs.
Why choose it
- Offers one of the widest choices of flower shape and colour for borders and cutting.
- Flowers continuously from midsummer to the first hard frosts when spent blooms are removed.
Care
- Water deeply in dry weather and feed during active growth and flowering.
- Stake tall cultivars early and deadhead regularly to prolong flowering.
- After frost damages the foliage, cut back and lift dry tubers for storage where winter freezing is expected.
Good to know
- Cultivar choice determines almost everything about the display, from a compact bedding plant to a tall cut-flower dahlia.