Dahlias are beautiful because they are bright and often very large and have the added benefit of attracting pollinators. They also have a long blooming season and make an ideal, long-lasting cut flower. We have tubers now.

This beautiful sun-loving perennial bloomer is the official flower of the City of Seattle and also the national flower of Mexico. We have sought out Dahlias in a wide variety of heights and forms to suit any garden or landscaping theme.

Plant large dahlias 3 to 4 feet apart; plant smaller dahlias 2 feet apart — plant dahlias in full or morning sun in soil that drains well. Select tubers now and plant them as the ground begins to warm in spring (store in a cool spot until ready).

Planting

Dig a big hole, 8-10″ deep and improve the soil with a generous amount of Gold Rush soil amendment. Add and mix in Master Nursery Bone Meal in the bottom of the hole and plant the bulb (actually a tuber) on their side, 4″ deep with the cut stem, if visible facing up. Nurture them with water and an additional feeding of Rose & Flower Food as the buds form in summer and also feed monthly through September. Watch for a spectacular summer display that will continue right into fall.

Water in and then only water when you see leaves emerge. Dahlias then appreciate moderate watering, which should look like a nice thorough soaking 2 to 3 times a week after the weather warms.

For best appearance and to keep the blooms coming, snip off the faded blossoms.

In fall, many gardeners dig up their dahlia tubers to store in a cool, dry spot for winter. We are in a mild winter region, so ours planted here at the nursery bloom year after year without lifting and storing.

 

 

Think spring now! We have a great selection of fall planted, spring-blooming bulbs available in our garden store.

Choose from tulips, hyacinths, crocus, daffodils/narcissus, iris, freesias, anemones, and more. For the best selection shop for fall bulbs early. Best to select bulbs by the middle or end of October for November/December planting.

Store fall bulbs in a cool dry place until the weather substantially cools this fall before planting. Refrigerate tulips and hyacinths for 6 weeks. The chilling enhances flower development providing for nice long stems. Put the bulbs in paper bags, label, date and put them in the crisper. Do not mistake them for soup ingredients. Be prepared to plant them as soon as you take them out of refrigeration (each day you delay you lose a week of chilling benefit).

Consider planting bulbs in containers.

This is a great way to accent your porch or patio. When they are finished blooming you can then relocate them to a side yard where they can continue to be watered and nurtured allowing them to dry down naturally. It’s important that the bulb is allowed to reabsorb all the energy of the leaves before they rest in summer.

Add another dimension to your fall bulb pot or garden by planting a blooming blanket of flowers over the top. Here are some great double deck combinations: yellow daffodils and dark blue/purple pansies; peach tulips and light blue violas; white tulips and pastel yellow pansies; red tulips, white paludosum daisies with blue pansies.

Most fall bulbs are planted point up, but when in doubt, plant sideways! Our nursery professionals will show you what’s up and what’s down.

Choose bulbs that will provide a succession of bloom. There are varieties of tulips, daffodils, and narcissus and more that will provide early, mid, or late spring bloom.

The layered look not only works in fashion but in the garden too. In a pot or garden bed plant bulbs in layers to produce a mixed bouquet look. Bulbs are planted 2½ times their diameter deep. So plant the larger bulbs, like daffodils deep. Over the top of daffodils plant tulips, then freesia and finally grape hyacinths.

You can even layer the same kind of bulb. For instance plant all daffodils some at the recommended depth of 6-8″ and another layer at 4″.  The shallower ones will bloom first and the deeper later.