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Posted on 3:51 PM by Wanto and filed under
By Gary Maya
If grown for exhibition, it is almost essential that the dahlias should be allotted a separate site, and it is definitely best to keep to groups or rows of similarly sized blooms as this simplifies the task of feeding and disbudding, as well as making the task of selection much easier when cutting for the shows.
Colour blending will perhaps not be so important, but even in this section it is as well to plant a colour scheme if possible. After all, there is no reason why plants grown for exhibition should not also be an asset to the garden from the decorative angle.
Variation in height will have to be considered, not because some plants might be hidden from view, although, obviously, this is undesirable, but mainly to ensure that each and every plant receives its fair share of sunlight and air, and to make certain that none of the weaker growing plants are overrun by their coarser growing brethren.
The condition of the soil is a wonderful guide. If at the usual planting time it is fairly warm, just nicely moist and really workable, by all means go ahead with planting, particularly if the weather conditions are also reasonable. Obviously the type of soil and the situation will have some bearing on the matter, for a heavy cold soil will take much longer to warm up than a light well drained soil, and a sheltered site will warm up even more quickly.
The main point to be emphasised is that if planting be done in a cold soil, or during a spell of cold winds and rain, the plants will remain static, neither making fresh root nor top growth, and may even deteriorate. Well this is just what happens when plants are put out in bad conditions. They receive a check to their growth, almost as a human being takes a chill, and it takes them some while to recover from this check.
From my personal experience, it is probably best to confine each bed to single, semi-double or double varieties, rather than to mix these together haphazardly, and beds of one colour do look most attractive. There is one other possible reason for planning, and that is if it is desired to experiment with raising double varieties from seed. In this case it is an advantage to plant the varieties which it is considered will give a good cross in close proximity to each other.
Colour blending will perhaps not be so important, but even in this section it is as well to plant a colour scheme if possible. After all, there is no reason why plants grown for exhibition should not also be an asset to the garden from the decorative angle.
Variation in height will have to be considered, not because some plants might be hidden from view, although, obviously, this is undesirable, but mainly to ensure that each and every plant receives its fair share of sunlight and air, and to make certain that none of the weaker growing plants are overrun by their coarser growing brethren.
The condition of the soil is a wonderful guide. If at the usual planting time it is fairly warm, just nicely moist and really workable, by all means go ahead with planting, particularly if the weather conditions are also reasonable. Obviously the type of soil and the situation will have some bearing on the matter, for a heavy cold soil will take much longer to warm up than a light well drained soil, and a sheltered site will warm up even more quickly.
The main point to be emphasised is that if planting be done in a cold soil, or during a spell of cold winds and rain, the plants will remain static, neither making fresh root nor top growth, and may even deteriorate. Well this is just what happens when plants are put out in bad conditions. They receive a check to their growth, almost as a human being takes a chill, and it takes them some while to recover from this check.
From my personal experience, it is probably best to confine each bed to single, semi-double or double varieties, rather than to mix these together haphazardly, and beds of one colour do look most attractive. There is one other possible reason for planning, and that is if it is desired to experiment with raising double varieties from seed. In this case it is an advantage to plant the varieties which it is considered will give a good cross in close proximity to each other.
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