Dahlia – Café au Lait

Planting

• Plant in spring after the last frost.
• If you cannot plant your bulbs and perennials right away, store them in a cool, dry, dark location, like a basement.
• Plant the Dahlia with the crown 5 cm (2 in) below the soil surface and 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24 in) apart.
• Water thoroughly after planting.

Growing

• Pinch shoot tips twice to encourage fullness, first after 2 or 3 sets of leaves have developed, and again after a few weeks.
• These bulbs like a lot of water.
• Dahlias love to be fed. Fertilize your Dahlia regularly.

Taking Care

• Dahlias will bloom the entire summer.
• Remove all spent flowers with clippers to boost further flower production. The more you cut, the more they bloom.
• Stake taller varieties.
• After flowering, the leaves should be allowed to die down. The leaves will gather sunlight and provide nourishment for next year’s show.

Winterizing

• These bulbs are not winter hardy and need to be dug up after the first frost.
• Do not wash but dry the bulbs for a day.
• Store away from drafts at 5 °C to 10 °C (40 °F to 50 °F) in a paper bag or box filled with peat moss or vermiculite.