Last year, after a frost-free winter here, we had a sharp frost at the end of May. That took its toll on all the plants, even hardy perennials that had come on early.
Hardened off or not, something similar would probably finish off your dahlias or at the very least set them back severely. They are not safe outside unprotected until all risk of frost is over.
@Buttercupdays I am in London and the garden is very protected. Supposedly our average last frost is March 11th to 20th (according to the web), so I will perhaps not plant them our but take them outside in their pots everyday and keep an eye on the night temperatures.
@sophiek I noticed that one of mine - a Mambo - has an inch of growth now This is one that was in an unheated indoor space down the side of the house. Maybe I should try to make space for them all in here, but they have to go on a shoulder height shelf which is not ideal in terms of remembering to water when needed.
I'm getting very worried about mine now I've seen all yours. 😱 I have 6 new ones in pots in the GH and so far I've seen very little sign of movement. Possibly, and it may be my imagination, the soil has risen slightly. Time to panic?
"To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul." — Alfred Austin
As with above, I bought 6 sets of tubers of a new variety to try this year - Happy Single Kiss. I potted them up on 3rd March and kept them indoors for another week or two until the mercury started hitting double figures then I moved them into my unheated greenhouse which has been getting the sun most of the day. I have just taken them back in as we are due this cold snap over the next few days (can already feel the chill in the air) but I'm already worried they've not been kept warm enough as I can literally see zero movement, even though the past couple of weeks have been unseasonably mild with above average temps.
Does anyone have any experience with this variety and should I be worried or can they take a while to take off? Is the damage done or will they still be okay? I'm going to keep them indoors for as long as possible until I start to see some movement, but at what point should I be worried if it isn't now?
Posts
for the fag ends of the aristocracy.
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
The blue areas signify the risk of ground frost, and orange air frost.
@REMF33 Keeping on top of the watering is definitely quite time consuming
Does anyone have any experience with this variety and should I be worried or can they take a while to take off? Is the damage done or will they still be okay? I'm going to keep them indoors for as long as possible until I start to see some movement, but at what point should I be worried if it isn't now?