I’m not big on gardening trends or any kind of trends for that matter. But I can get behind the new obsession with dahlias. They are everywhere at garden centers this spring.
I used to grow dahlias every year from seed or plant tubers in the spring, but when the Japanese Beetles descended upon our area about 15 years ago, I gave up on them. The beetles would just shred the petals to bits, and it was a disappointing mess.
The beetle numbers have leveled off, so I already sprouted some dahlias from seed over the winter not knowing this was going to be all the rage in the gardening world. Maybe I’m the trendsetter?
Of course that didn’t stop me from impulse shopping some gorgeous potted plants at a garden center last week.
Some of them are Proven Winners (Dalina Grande series) and grow 15 to 18 inches tall in full sun.
I also sprouted ‘Figaro’ dahlias from seed which I will plant outside in my flowerbeds during the last week of May. That cultivar grows 12 to 14 inches tall with smaller yellow, orange, pink and red flowers.
I will be planting my garden center dahlias in pots on my patio. Then it will be up to the beetles (which usually arrive at the end of June) to decide whether I get to enjoy these pretty flowers throughout the summer or not.