To this day, my mother seems happiest when she is in her garden. As a kid, I didn’t have any perspective as to why the garden was a refuge for her. All these years later, I understand. There is something about digging in the dirt, sowing seeds, tending to and watching a garden flourish. It’s no surprise why there are countless analogies that refer to cultivation of a garden.

As I moved away from home and found myself with courtyard & balcony gardens overflowing with containers flush with blooms, I was determined to create my own garden even in the midst of urban cities. When I finally had a plot of land in the suburbs, I planted my first dahlias. I had no idea what I was doing. To my surprise, they grew tall and flourished! This gave me the confidence to pursue a more ambitious dream once we crossed the pond and settled in the English countryside.

To my delight, our 18th century farmhouse was a blank canvas. There was no landscaping save for dog roses lining the fence bordering our garden. Even better, the garden faces west and receives plenty of sunlight throughout the day. Our second summer here, I got to work planning my dream garden. The first bag of tubers I purchased was from Costco of all places! A bag of 15 assorted tubers for less than $20. Some of the more unique dahlias I’ve ordered from the UK flower supplier Sarah Raven.

Before I could begin to plant all my tubers, I hired a local gardener to till the ground and create borders for me. Once the ground was cultivated, it was time to get to work.

This is the third summer we’ve enjoyed the dahlias. I have to say, they grow better each year! Below is a catalogue of my dahlias along with a few tips and resources for you. I hope this help gives you confidence as you plot your dahlia garden next year.

A few tips to help you start your dahlia garden

• Make sure the tubers aren’t rotted through before planting

• Find the eye of the tuber. Here’s a guide to plant the tubers.

• Pinch the first blooms. This can be painful as you’ve waiting to see those first blooms appear, but it’ll ensure your dahlias will fill out beautifully.

• Pests you might have to deal with and how to treat them.

• Stake your flowers at about 1-2 feet tall

• Fertilizing your dahlias. I personally use liquid seaweed every 7-10 days. This helps them to take off!

• Prune your dahlias for them to continue continue to grow in abundance

• After the first frost, I cut back the dead flowers. Personally I LEAVE the tubers in the ground. After I’ve cut them to the base, I put about a foot of compost down over the tubers. Make sure to completely cover the tubers. You don’t want any water to be able to fill up the hollow stalks. It could rot the tubers.

• In the spring, I add a conditioner to the soil. I usually see the new leaves emerge around mid May.