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You walk outside on a hot summer afternoon and suddenly your beautiful dahlia looks completely limp. The leaves are drooping, the stems look tired, and you start wondering if something is seriously wrong. Before you panic, here's what to know. Once temperatures climb into the mid 80s, dahlias start to become stressed. Even if they're getting plenty of water, don't be surprised if you notice the leaves wilting during the hottest part of the afternoon. Cafe Au Lait plants wilti

This week I thought I'd share a list of my 17 favorite dahlia tools and supplies. Some of these I'm using on repeat right now, and some are more geared towards digging, dividing and storing my dahlias. Stirrup Hoe - I have a long handled version of the stirrup hoe as well as a short handled one. They're both super helpful to keep those weeds at bay until the dahlias get above 18" and really shade them out. For me, June through July is the season I devote the most time to ke

If you're like me, you want as many flowers as possible from your dahlia plants. One of the very best ways to make that happen is to pinch your plant. I know, it feels completely backwards. You've spent weeks babying your dahlias, and now someone is telling you to snip off the top. I promise there's a good reason. Pinching is one of the easiest ways to dramatically increase the number of flowers your dahlia produces all season long. Once you understand what's happening inside

It's usually around this time of year that people start asking, "I planted my dahlia tubers X weeks ago. Why haven't some of them come up?" Waiting for your dahlias to sprout has to be one of the hardest parts of growing these gorgeous flowers, especially when it's your first time. You're staring at bare soil or mulch, thinking, "Ooooh, is that it?" Then you realize, "Nope. That's just a weed." There are several possible reasons. 1. Your tuber is growing underground but just

One of the most common questions I get is Do you have to dig your dahlias? The answer is, it depends. Here at Pink Sky Flowers, in zone 6b/7a, I always dig my dahlia tubers in the fall and store them over the winter. Every year I’m amazed at how much they multiply. One small tuber planted in May turns into a clump of 4 to 20 tubers by the end of the season. On average, I usually get 6 or 7. But there are definitely situations where you may not need to dig, or may choose not t

If you’re just joining us, you can catch up on Week 1 (what a tuber is) , Week 2 (how to plant) , Week 3 (staking) , Week 4 (soil and fertilizer ) and Week 5 (watering) . If you're like me, you want as many flowers as possible from your dahlia plants! One of the best ways to get more blooms is to cut your plant. It can feel counterintuitive to take pruners to something you’ve been carefully growing. But this is actually one of the simplest ways to encourage more flowers. Le

If you’re just joining us, you can catch up on Week 1 (what a tuber is) , Week 2 (how to plant) , Week 3 (staking) , and Week 4 (soil and fertilizer ) . If you’ve been thinking about growing dahlias, you might be wondering: “How much should I water them?” It’s a great question, and one that makes a bigger difference than you might expect. I once heard a dahlia expert say that almost all problems with dahlias can be traced back to not enough water. That surprised me at the tim

If you’re just joining us, you can catch up on Week 1 (what a tuber is) , Week 2 (how to plant) , and Week 3 (staking) . If you’ve been thinking about growing dahlias, you might be wondering: “Do I need special soil or fertilizer to grow them well?” It’s a fair question. A lot of gardening advice can make it sound like you need to get everything exactly right before you even plant your first tuber. But here’s the good news: You don’t. Dahlias are much less fussy about soil th

Dahlias grow into tall, top-heavy plants that often reach 4–5 feet tall . Without support, wind and rain can easily knock them over. In this guide, I’ll show you several simple ways to stake dahlias so they stay upright and produce beautiful blooms all summer. If you're new to growing dahlias, you may also want to read the earlier posts in this series: Week 1: Getting Started with Dahlias Week 2: How to Plant Dahlia Tubers Today we’re talking about one simple step that can ma

Welcome to Week 2 of my Dahlias 101 series! If you missed it, you can read Week 1 here . This week we’re diving into the details of how to plant your dahlia tubers so they grow into strong, healthy plants. And if you haven’t ordered your tubers yet, now is the perfect time. Four varieties have already sold out, and once we get closer to planting season, things tend to move quickly. You can browse the varieties still available here . When Should You Plant Dahlia Tubers? Dahli

If you’ve ever found yourself drooling over gorgeous dahlia photos online but wondering: “I’d LOVE to grow dahlias… but aren’t they really hard?” You’re not alone. This is one of the most common questions I hear from new gardeners who are thinking about growing dahlias for the first time. And my answer is, emphatically, no . I would categorize dahlias as an intermediate-level plant to grow. If you have even 1–2 years of gardening experience, you can absolutely grow dahlias su