The scariest part of growing dahlias
When you’re a first-time dahlia farmer (like me), few things are as terrifying as snipping off the center bloom — or “topping” — your dahlias.
In early spring, you check every tuber for signs of growth while they are waking up. Then, you plant them carefully in the soil, praying there is no damage to the neck of the tuber. Next, you wait patiently (or not so patiently) for the first signs that the dahlia made it through the winter and could become a gorgeous, strong flower. By the time the first teeny green shoot pops through the soil, all you want to do is surround it with bubble wrap and spend the month of June in a sleeping bag next to your highest accomplishment.
Tough love is stressful
When my friend and dahlia mentor told me it was time to top my teenage dahlia plants, I wanted to cover my ears and yell, “I can’t hear you because that feels crazy!” I didn’t care that they were a foot tall and had at least four sets of leaves on the stem. She promised me this is the perfect time to top flowers so they grow fuller and have more blooms. But what if I made a mistake and killed the plants I had spent so much time and effort tending?
Though I trusted my friend completely because the proof was row after row of gorgeous blooms in her garden, I still needed internet reinforcement. So I dragged my laptop outside and watched no fewer than 20 videos, clippers in hand hovering over each dahlia to ensure I wouldn’t mess it up. Someone definitely needed a glass of wine or three after that stressful day of snipping!
Related Links:
Dahlia Growing Tips
Find the Right Dahlia for Your Garden
Dahlia Flower Phone Cases & Stationary
The payoff
In the end, my friend (and the internet) was right. I topped all but two of my dahlias and was rewarded later in the growing season with more robust, bushier plants and more blooms than I could fashion into summer and fall bouquets. The two I skipped were pretty wimpy and not nearly as bloom-filled.
Now that I’ve done it once, I won’t be as nervous to top the dahlias this year. And I’ve realized something important about why I adore the gardening community. There are many ways to grow things, and chances are, I can learn something from someone else’s experiences. Listen to the experts, even if it seems like topping a perfectly healthy plant is a recipe for disaster and will ruin your garden forever. Turns out, they’re right: Topping does make dahlias have more blooms!
Aside from dahlias, Jamie’s favorite flowers to grow are peonies and lilacs. Neither lasts long for bouquets, but a world with lilacs is simply better. Aside from dahlias, Jamie’s favorite flowers to grow are peonies and lilacs. Neither lasts long for bouquets, but a world with lilacs is simply better.
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