Dahlia FAQ: a short on dahlia success in the Houston area
NOVEMBER 08, 2024
FALL DAHLIAS ARE BLOOMING AT BUNGALOW BLOOMS!
Every time this beloved flower graces my stories, the DMs start piling up. And for good reason - these gorgeous flowers can be tricky to nail.
For those of you wanting to take the leap into dahlias, a few tricks can set you on track for success:
01. Timing
Like so many things in the garden, getting the timing right can make or break your season. Dahlias follow the same timing as tomatoes!
Here in Houston both dahlia tubers and tomato plants should be planted February 14-March 1 and again July 15-August 15.
Somewhere else in the world? Google “when to plant tomato plants in [your city]” and that will give you a great starting point.
02. . Sunlight
Fun fact, dahlias are native to parts of Mexico - they have warm days and cool nights.
Ideal sun exposure in Houston would be full morning sun and dappled afternoon shade. However, a well established plant (re: one that was planted on time) can tolerate all day sun.
These plants will not bloom, and will become sickly in all day shade, so find a spot that has at least 6 hours of sun!
03. Spacing
Once you have found the correct planting window, and the ideal spot - plan to space your dahlias about 12" apart.
Any closer, and they'll be disease prone. Any farther apart, and they will be more like landscape shrubs (fine if you don't plan to harvest from them!)
04. Support
Dahlia plants can easily grow to be four to five feet tall, plan to have a support for each plant.
You can support each individual plant, or if you have a large area, you can support with posts and netting.
Nailing these four factors will get you on track for your best dahlia season yet.
Inside scoop: Bungalow Blooms will have dahlia tubers for sale in FEBRUARY of 2025. I'm very excited to offer this timing to my email subscribers because it can be find tubers that are available during the time frame we need them here in Houston. Stay tuned for launch details.
ALSO: there will be a Dahlia Deep Dive mini course launching February 2025. If you have specific questions you'd like to see covered in the course, hit reply and let me know what they are! I can't wait to see Houston full of blooming dahlias this spring! Otherwise, hit that button below to be notified when pre-sale pricing is live
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