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Dahlias in the ground - at what point do you give up?

NollieNollie Posts: 7,056
in Plants
No sign of my Bishop of Llandalff from last year. I know its really early, but everything else is unseasonably early and my new potted ones are romping away.

I’m wondering at what point do you decide as dahlia in the ground is a gonner? How long do you give yours?

I suppose there is no way of knowing in advance whether its rotted, short of digging it up?
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 25,260
    I wouldn't give up but check for slugs. My hostas and ferns are really late this year. I'm only just seeing the 'bullets '  poking through on the hostas.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,056
    Thanks B3. I am sure what I am about to say will jinx me, but we don’t have slugs here, so far, 🤞 and not many snails, nothing has emerged at all yet, its very much dormant. 
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,319
    I never lift my dahlias and I don't expect to see any activity for about another month yet.
    We had -6c a year ago and they came through that ok, but I do give them a good 6" mulch before winter sets in.
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • LynLyn Posts: 21,976
    Same here Pete, I don’t expect ours to be up until mid May at least, no sign of Hostas yet. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 894
    Same for me in Lincs... no sign of hostas, or dahlias (either in the ground, or the ones I lifted and have potted...)
    Lincolnshire
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,056
    Great thanks everyone. I did pile mulch over it, but I recently removed it to have a peek. On the basis I am usually a month ahead of the UK, I thought I might see shoots appearing by now, but I clearly need to give it more time. I’m new to Dahlia growing, having been banned from having them by OH, who is finally giving in to my stealth introduction strategy  :)
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,325
    Fingers crossed @Nollie love my dahlias 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • Fran IOMFran IOM Posts: 2,421
    My Dahlias are in the ground and wouldn't expect to see anything yet. My Hostas are just poking through I'm pleased to say. Don't give up  :)
  • SuesynSuesyn Posts: 630
    I have dahlias which were in pots but I wanted to use the pots for something else so I took them out and planted in individual pots about 3/4 weeks ago, the tubers were firm and are sprouting already. They are Bishop's Children , grown from seed last year. I have never tried to keep them over winter before but one of our neighbours at the allotment has some that have been in for over 20years so I thought it was worth giving it a go. (He did loose some last year but still has quite a few )
    The ones I have still in big tubs are still not showing though, I expect they will eventually. 
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