Don’t dig up dahlias for winter! What to do instead….

I don’t dig up dahlias to store them at the end of the summer.

I’ve been growing dahlias for fifteen years, and I only dug a few up once. They died.

But the dahlias I’ve left in the ground, year after year, have filled our late-summer borders with glorious colour.

All these dahlias were planted between eight and three years ago. I have never dug any of them up to over-winter.

Although, perhaps the borders are not exactly the colours I originally planted. But more of that later.

As soon as people see the late-summer border, they ask two questions. The first is always ‘do you dig dahlias up for winter?’

Our dahlia border

Of course, those who have ‘proper gardens’ almost always dig up their dahlias. Then they store them expertly, and they have places to do so.

But we’re a bit short of storage here, and my over-wintering expertise isn’t up to much either.

So this post is about middle-sized garden tactics, not ‘proper gardening.’

How not to dig up dahlias

Firstly cut away the dead and dying foliage. I find some of my dahlia stems are so thick, they need loppers not just secateurs. (I particularly like Wilkinsons Ultralight Loppers, because they really are so light.)

Note: links to Amazon in this post are affiliate links, which means I may get a fee if you buy through them, but it won’t affect the price you pay. I’ve only linked to products I’ve tried myself and liked.

Once you’ve taken away all the vegetation, cover the dahlia with as big a mound of compost or mulch as you can. Pile it on, making sure that the stems are well covered to protect the snow and rain getting in down the hollow parts.

Then add a stick to show you’ve got a dahlia there. It’s as simple as that.

But take your anti-slug precautions early

The second question people ask is how I keep the slugs and snails off the dahlias. As you can see, I co-exist with slugs and snails. But I prevent them from winning by starting the battle early.

You may not feel inclined to take my anti-snail advice, having seen this picture. But at least I enjoy my dahlias as much as the snails do.

Best tip: I got this from a friend in the RHS. Start taking your anti-slug and snail precautions in February. Don’t wait until you see snail damage. I use ferric phosphate slug pellets, which are certified for organic use,and are pet and wildlife friendly.

I’ve used several brands, such  Bayer Garden Slug Killer and Sluggo 

Take a handful and simply throw them across the border in February. Don’t try to make little piles around where you think the plant will be. A light sprinkling will help protect your dahlias.

Some dahlias do really need to be dug up…

I must admit one thing.

Not all dahlias survive the winter protected by mulch, so I have lost a few over the years. The colour scheme is now dominated by reds and oranges, although the beautiful peach ‘Henriette’ has come back three years in a row.

This is Henriette. She is so pretty, and has come back every year for three years now, protected by a big pile of mulch.

Dark red Rip City and Black Cat dahlias have proved hardy, and also the orange Dahlia David Howard. However, the Bishop dahlias – with their black foliage – have never survived, no matter how much mulch I pile on top.

The dahlias that do come back seem extra vigorous, perhaps because of their nutritious much meal

So it’s a question of trial and error. And it also depends on where you live, – we’re in Southern England, so we have some quite mild winters and some harsh ones. It’s usually considered equivalent to a US hardiness zone 8, although it doesn’t quite match.

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Do subscribe to the Middlesized Garden blog or YouTube channel for tips and inspiration from middle-sized gardens for middle-sized (and small) gardens. And let me know if there’s any gardening job, you’d like not to do, and I’ll try to find out how not to do it.

(Although Anne Wareham is pretty good at not doing gardening in her book The Deckchair Gardener)

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