as dahlias mature they produce bigger tubers and thus greater reserves of energy for the following year's flowers and foliage.
If you grow your youngsters well they will produce good tubers which you can then protect over winter and then bring into growth next spring. I grew some Bishop's Children from seed last year and they have come back well this spring and should be big enough to provide cuttings material next spring.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I got some last year from Morrisons. I fully expected they wouldn't make it over the winter and left them in the ground to their own devices. They're flourishing and all budded up. Problem is I forgot where they were and have since planted gladioli pretty much over the top or else very nearby! It's gonna be crowded come August
I seem to remember buying bedding dahlias years ago that just had roots, treated as annuals. They didn’t grow tubers. I could be mistaken, anyone else remember those.?
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I have bedding dahlias that I grew from seed, I managed to over winter a few which have come back beautifully. Basically I left them in the pots, they were kept in a sheltered spot and kept quite dry over winter.
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If you grow your youngsters well they will produce good tubers which you can then protect over winter and then bring into growth next spring. I grew some Bishop's Children from seed last year and they have come back well this spring and should be big enough to provide cuttings material next spring.