Dahlia

Summer's hot sizzlers, particularly when we seem so partial to the crimson and red colours. As the winters get  drier and warmer more people are mulching over their dahlias in the garden hoping that they will survive the winter without the bother of lifting and storing the tubers. However in cold areas the wisest move would be to lift, dry and store.

Their growth is rapid in the lengthening days of early summer and they need rich soil, lots of sun and reasonable moisture to establish. Later in the summer these established plants seem much more drought  tolerant.