Dahlias are half hardy, so keep them protected from frost. Pot tubers individually between February and April and grow them on in a greenhouse or bright indoor position. Alternatively, start them outside in May, once the risk of frost has passed.
Out of season
Deluxe
Flaunt a floral scene of café delights this summer with Dahlia collection 'Barista'. Comprising a mouth-watering mixture of Dahlia 'Cafe au Lait' sports, you can feast your eyes all summer long on a generous helping of gigantic blooms in delectable shades of cream, coffee-cream and pink. Plant this mix and create an effortlessly impressive panoply of perfectly petal-packed dahlia blooms which burst from bud after bud during summer and well into autumn!
Whether you grow dahlias purely to enjoy in the garden and snip a few for indoors, or have a dedicated cut flower patch, Dahlia collection 'Barista' would love to be a part of it. These mixed 'Cafe au Lait' sports provide such a profuse offering which, without much fuss at all, will fill a space in the garden with unbelievable beauty for months. One of the best things about dinnerplate dahlias like these is that you don’t have to cut many to make a big impact in an indoor arrangement—they’re so big that usually just one or two is enough to make an arrangement look extra special.
Gracy's gardening tip:
"Chances are, your decorative dahlias will need stakes to support those gigantic blooms. You don’t want to damage your precious dahlia tubers, so plant the stakes at the same time as the bulbs."
Quantity
Plant profile
Plant calendar
For planting out later, use a snug-fitting 15–20cm pot filled with peat-free multipurpose compost. For a patio display, plant directly into a container at least 30cm wide and keep it somewhere bright and frost free until it can move outdoors.
Position the old stem facing upwards, with the tubers covered and the stem stump level with the compost. Tubers naturally vary in size and shape and may arrive without visible buds. Bent necks are usually fine if they remain firmly attached, so do not remove them.
Water after planting, then allow the compost to become almost dry before watering again while the tuber remains dormant. Once shoots and leaves are growing strongly, water more regularly, always allowing excess water to drain away.
Plant out after the last frost, once the plant is around 20–30cm tall and its roots hold the compost together. Space dahlias approximately 30–50cm apart in borders, allowing less room for compact varieties. Water thoroughly after planting.
Water regularly during active growth and deadhead or cut flowers often. Dahlias usually bloom from July or August until the first frost, although later-planted tubers may start in late August or September. In autumn, lift, clean and dry the tubers, then store them somewhere cool, dry, airy and frost free.
- Botanical name
- Dahlia collection 'Barista'
- Dahlia division
- Decorative dahlia (Div 5)
- Flower colour
- Pink, cream
- Tuber size
- 1
- Established height
- 70cm-1m
- Established spread
- 30-50cm
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
- Habit
- Upright
- Hardiness
- Half hardy
- Leaf colour
- Green
- Mouse resistant
- No
- Plant spacing
- 5 tubers per m2
- Pollinator friendly
- No
- Position
- Sheltered
- Rabbit resistant
- No
- Scented
- No
- Soil acidity
- Any
- Soil moisture
- Free draining
- Soil type
-
Loam
Sandy
Multipurpose compost
Loam-based compost - Suitable for
-
Large containers
Borders
Gravel gardens
Coastal gardens
Cottage gardens
Low maintenance gardens
Cut flower gardens - Sunlight
-
Full sun
Partial shade - Toxicity
- No report
- Years to establish
- 1st year
Good for cutting
Perennial
Packed in paper
Low maintenance
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Dahlia collection 'Barista' reviews
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