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Dahlias are both annual and perennial. When choosing a type of flower for your site, you should remember that it is much easier to grow an annual plant: you do not need to wait for the formation of tubers, dig them up for the winter, protect from diseases and rot. It is enough just to sow seeds and in a couple of months enjoy the exuberant flowering of dahlias in your own flower bed.
About the rules for growing annual dahlias, as well as the best varieties of these bright flowers - this article.
What is the peculiarity of annual flowers
There is a beautiful legend about the appearance of a flower on the site of an extinguished hearth - a colorful dahlia replaced fire for people and resembled tongues of flame. Indeed, these flowers are very bright, large, there are a lot of varieties and varieties of annuals, among which it is easy to choose a decoration for a garden or flower bed.
Dahlias annual have many advantages over perennial species and other garden flowers:
- Long flowering period - from mid-summer to the first frost.
- Large and colorful inflorescences, which are in the shape of a ball, can have a double or glossy surface, pointed or rounded petals.
- Easy sowing and easy plant care.
- There is no need to dig up the tubers and transfer them to winter storage - this procedure usually ends with the loss of most of the rhizomes due to their infection with fungal infections.
- Dahlias can grow throughout the country, even in the northern regions, these flowers can be grown in seedlings.
The main advantage of annual dahlias is their unpretentiousness - these flowers grow equally well in different climates, on any soil, do not need complex care and frequent watering.
Dahlia varieties
In order for the one-year-olds to please the owner with exuberant flowering, you need to be able to take care of the plants, as well as choose the right varieties of dahlias for your site. These flowers differ in several ways:
- by the height of the bush - tall, medium and dwarf. The gardener should take into account that tall flowers need to be tied up, strengthened with supports, left between the bushes at least 70 cm.At the same time, a 30 centimeter distance between the holes is quite enough for dwarf dahlias, because the bushes are not only low, but also compact.
- By the type of bud (size, shape, color, features of the petals) and the color of the leaves.
- By the timing of flowering, dahlias are distinguished depending on their height, as a rule, tall varieties bloom several weeks later than undersized and dwarf varieties.
"Bambino"
A variety of dwarf dahlias, the height of these flowers cannot be more than 25 cm. Annuals bloom in mid-July and continue to bloom until the onset of frost.
These low-growing flowers are convenient for decorating garden paths, the first tier of flower beds, planting them in pots and pots. The inflorescences are large - up to 8 cm in diameter, can be painted in various bright shades, have a terry surface.
"Funny boys"
One of the most widespread and well-known annual varieties in Russia.Flowers reach a height of 30-60 cm, have compact bushes - they are simply intended to decorate the garden.
The inflorescences of plants of this variety are colored in different shades, since the flower seeds are sold as a mixture. The flowers have a common center of a bright yellow shade and a simple structure of the inflorescence.
Dahlia blooms from early July until the very first frosts. It is convenient to decorate with it discounts and flower beds, can be combined with other types of flowers.
"Collar dahlia"
It is also a mixture of several different colored varieties of annuals. The plants are united by the height of the bush - about 60 cm, and the structure of the inflorescence.
Around the bright yellow center of the flower, small short petals are collected - a collar. These narrow petals lie on the large, pointed leaves of the outer edge of the flower, resulting in a lush, two-layered inflorescence.
The variety blooms from mid-July to October. In general, "Collar Dahlia" is intended for cutting and decorating flowerpots, but the flower looks great on flower beds, organically combines with other garden plants.
"Decorative dahlia"
Such a mixture of multi-colored one-year-old flowers is intended for decorating bouquets - the height of the stems can reach 120 cm.
Inflorescences are large, rounded, with double petals. The variety also looks great on flower beds, blooms until the first frost.
"Dahlia cactus"
The height of the stems of plants of this variety reaches a meter. Inflorescences consist of thin petals rolled into tubes. These petals resemble needles, which gave the variety its name.
The inflorescences are very voluminous, bright, decorative - they are used to decorate bouquets and flower beds of gardens. After sowing seeds into the soil, cactus varieties of dahlias bloom no earlier than the 16th week, but continue to bloom until late autumn.
"Dahlia pomponnaya"
The inflorescences of this variety are similar to a cactus dahlia, only the flowers are denser, rounded. Terry heads of annual flowers are similar to fur pom-poms, only bright and variegated.
The height of the bushes of this flower is about 90 cm. Plants are often used in group plantings, combining dahlias with other flowers and shrubs.
"Opera"
These annual flowers grow up to only 30 cm, so they are most often used to decorate balconies and window sills - they are planted in pots or boxes. Flowers in flower beds, in the form of a frame or border, also look good.
The flower is double, voluminous, with a barely noticeable yellow center. It blooms at 16-18 weeks after sowing the seeds, continues to bloom until the first frost.
"Minion"
Simple, sophisticated and bright flowers of this variety are considered very decorative - they are planted in flowerpots, pots, flower beds and rabatki.
The height of the bushes does not exceed 40 cm, flowering begins in mid-July, and ends with the onset of autumn frosts. The beauty of this variety is difficult to overestimate - the flowers are shown in the photo below.
Figaro
Low-growing varieties of dahlias represents another variety - "Figaro". The height of the stems of this flower is not more than 35 cm. But its inflorescences are large - up to 10 cm in diameter, and voluminous.
Dahlia can decorate the foreground of a flower bed, combine into a composition or grow individually in pots and boxes. Blooms from July to October.
How dahlias are grown
Even a novice gardener can decorate the garden with annual dahlias - these flowers do not require special care.
Still, in order for the flower bed to turn out beautiful and bright, you need to follow some rules:
- Annual varieties of dahlias are planted either by seeds or seedlings.The first option is suitable for regions with a mild climate - seeds are sown in holes in late April-early May, when the threat of night frosts has passed. For those regions of the country in which a warm climate is established with the onset of summer, the seedling method of growing annuals is more suitable, moreover, they will bloom a couple of weeks earlier than those sown with seeds.
- Growing dahlia seedlings is very similar to growing tomatoes or bell peppers. The seeds are pre-soaked for a day, then planted in boxes or pots, covered with foil. After the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are grown for 7-12 days, and then dive into individual containers. Before planting in open ground, dahlia seedlings need to be hardened - taken out into the street or onto the balcony.
- If the soil on the site is nutritious, you do not need to additionally fertilize the plants. Scanty soils are fed with organic or complex fertilizers in the fall. During planting, you can add a handful of wood ash to each hole.
- Watering annual dahlias is not often necessary - these flowers are afraid of waterlogging, as they are susceptible to infection with fungal infections. It is necessary to water it as the soil dries up, and with the onset of autumn it is necessary to stop irrigation of the bushes altogether.
- For more abundant flowering, you can feed the bushes with complex fertilizers, applying them before the buds appear and after the first ones bloom.
- In order to have more flowers on the bushes, it is recommended to pinch the central shoot. Then the lateral stems with additional inflorescences will begin to grow.
- Faded flowers must be cut off in time. If they are needed for collecting seeds, the inflorescences are left for a couple of weeks. After that, the seeds are collected, dried and folded into paper bags.
- When the autumn frosts begin, dahlia bushes can be covered with agrofibre at night - this prolongs the flowering of the culture.
A correctly selected variety and adherence to the recommendations for growing one-year-old dahlias are guaranteed to provide the flower bed and garden with beautiful flowers, bright and unpretentious.
