Gardening

Gerry Daly discovers the different varieties of dahlias gives us some tips for what to do this month in your garden.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dazzling Dahlias
Dahlias are a mainstay of the autumn garden, or at least they can be, but it is surprising how much the value of this great plant is overlooked. Now, many gardens do indeed sport a fine show of dahlias through August and September into October, but it is such a good plant for keeping the garden fresh that the surprise comes that not all gardens feature it. The dahlias in question are the taller border dahlias, but the smaller bedding kinds can make a big contribution too.

The dahlia is native to Mexico and Central America. The original plants were smallish and the flowers were simple daisies but much breeding in the 300 years since they were brought to Europe has resulted in the large border dahlias with big full flowers in a range of vibrant colours — deep red, scarlet, yellow, orange, purple, pink and white, every colour except blue.

The best way to use these varieties is to choose two or, at most, three colours that go well together, orange and yellow or purple and red, and repeat the same plants in several places as single plants or groups of three or more. Or you can get many different colours and make a lively cottage-style garden with masses of bright colours jostling for attention.

In milder parts of the country, the border dahlias are hardy enough to leave in the ground over winter, taking the precaution of covering them with some soil or sand. Be careful to watch for snail damage as they expand their leaves in spring. Dahlias like rich fertile soil and it is worthwhile making good preparations before planting. The soil should be dug over and plenty of rich organic material added.

The plants are grown from tubers sold in spring. They should be started off indoors in pots and then planted out at the end of May after the frost has gone. The tubers can also be planted directly into the open ground in late April or early May, allowing time for them to reach the soil surface.

Dahlias can get a liquid feed soon after planting out and occasionally in summer or a base fertiliser scattered over the ground at planting time. All this feeding makes the plants big and vigorous with lots of flowers, but it tends to make them prone to blowing over too and they often need to be staked with small staked before they get too big, during June.

Watch out for dahlias this month and try to envisage how they would look in your own garden. Pick out some spots for them and buy the tubers in spring, starting them in March or April. There are many lovely kinds, plenty to choose from.

This Month in your Garden...

• plant out strawberry runners as early as possible
  
• pot up prepared hyacinths in bowls for Christmas
  
• prune once-flowering roses, especially the late kinds
  
• repair damaged lawns by laying turf sods or re-seeding
  
• take cuttings of evergreen shrubs
  
• pot up lily bulbs for indoor or patio use next summer
  
• continue to harvest vegetables before they go over
  
• plant greenhouse freesias for fragrant spring flowers
  
• sow hardy annual flower seeds outdoors for next summer
  
• plant spring bulbs in pots or in the open ground
  
• plant out spring cabbage in a good soil in a sunny spot
  
• sow new lawn areas when the ground is ready
  
• lift and ripen bulb onions in a greenhouse or shed
  
• pot up some strong parsley plants for winter use
  
• pot up shrub cuttings if they are well-rooted
  
• clip evergreen hedges, but not in exposed areas
  
• set rose cuttings to root
  

Using Garden Tools

Shredder
This is the start of shredding time, that is if there is a start, because shredding can be carried out yearround to reduce garden waste and turn it into mulch and compost. The trick with shredding is to match the machine to the demands of the garden in which it is to be used. It there is a lot of material, a high output machine will be needed, or if the material is woody. But most gardens can easily be managed with a relatively small electric machine. These chop up the material into small bits, making it far less bulky and promoting its very rapid breakdown into useful compost and leaf mould.

Care for the environment:
Butterfly Food

While many people think of bird food and keep their bird tables and nut-feeders well-stocked, the butterflies do not always fare out so well. Butterflies only feed from natural sources, such as flowers and sometimes-sweet fallen fruit. They can add a great dimension of beauty, life and colour to the garden in September as many new butterflies hatch from their pupae. Plants such as sedum, verbena, buddleia and marjoram are great for attracting butterflies to feed and to flit around the garden for a time. This provision of food also helps some kinds such as the small tortoiseshell to prepare for winter, building up its food reserves before it hibernates. It extends the lives of other kinds, which do not overwinter here.