Dahlias - Part 3: Staking and picking
with THE LAND GARDENERS
Lesson 24 of 37
This lesson is free to watch
Already a member? Sign in
The Land Gardeners are in France in September, dealing with the challenge of staking their favourite dahlia variety, ‘Otto’s Thrill’, with bamboo canes and string. Also included are tips on prolonging dahlias’ flowering time well into the autumn, as well as when and how to pick the blooms to create the longest stems possible.
From the Lesson Workbook
Plant Directory
Achillea millefolium
Common name: Yarrow
Alchemilla mollis
Common name: Lady's mantle
Allium schoenoprasum
Common name: Chives
Amelanchier
Common name: Shadbush
Ammi
Common name: Ami, Bishop's flower or Queen Ann's lace
Anemone
Common names: Poppy anemone, Windflower
Anemone hupehensis
Common names: Japanese anemone
Anethum graveolens
Common names: Dill
Angelica
Common names: Wild celery
Anthriscus sylvestris
Common names: Cow parsley
Antirrhinum
Common names: Snapdragon
Astrantia
Common names: Masterwort
The Cutting Garden in Early Autumn
Dahlias - Part 3: Staking and Picking
We are in France on a beautiful sunny day, dealing with the challenge of staking our favourite dahlia variety, 'Otto's Thrill'. There are many types of dahlias - cactus dahlias, pompom dahlias, anemone dahlias, and water lily dahlias. 'Otto's Thrill' - which we demonstrate in this lesson - is a large dinner-plate dahlia with superb, huge, pink flower heads.
At the time of planting a tuber, we used a single bamboo cane and added two more when the plant was gaining in size. Today we are tying another tier of string to the canes at shoulder height, with just enough tension to keep the stems upright.
OUR ADVICE:
- Always stake large dahlias
- Use bamboo canes or coppiced hazel sticks
- Tie lengths of string around the canes as the plant grows ending with a tier at shoulder height
- Deadhead regularly to the nearest set of leaves to encourage new flowers to develop
- Cut back blooms to the first set of leaves at the beginning of the season; this will increase the chance of having longer stems to cut later in the season
Get the full workbook, video lessons, and more with a Create Academy subscription.
Subscribe to access the full workbook
Your Instructor
The Land Gardeners
Award-winning garden designers and cut flower growers on a mission to save our soil.
Garden designers, flower growers and compost creators, Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy joined forces to found The Land Gardeners in 2012. United by their passion for organically grown plants and a shared interest in soil health, they began by growing and selling cut flowers to esteemed florists, and worked on restoring historic gardens to their former glory. Most recently, they launched Climate Compost - a project born from years of inquisitive research into soil biology with the aim of creating a microbially rich compost that produces nutrient dense crops, while also supporting and boosting the local ecosystem. With an unwavering commitment to improving the health of our land and its biodiversity, The Land Gardeners’ approach is one of sensitivity, unparalleled expertise and, above all, a loving respect for the natural world and its preservation.
Access to all courses