The beauty of dahlia season is being celebrated again after a huge increase in popularity mainly due to growers and floral stylists sharing inspiring images via social media. Once reserved for growing best-in-show specimens on allotment plots in the 1950s, dahlias have made their way back to our gardens. They offer real value for money as they produce tons of flowers and when cut can last for up to a week in a vase. Famous gardener and flower expert Sarah Raven hosts Dahlia Delirium open days in August and September at her wonderful private garden, Perch Hill, in East Sussex, showing how to grow dahlias en masse and how to mix colours in borders. The array of hues can spark inspiration in the home as well as the garden – from styling a seasonal table for supper to designing a new decor theme. There is no better time to get reacquainted with these dazzling blooms.
‘Cut dahlia stems as long as possible and just before where the stalk meets the leaf to encourage more blooms’
Growing and cultivating
Few flowers are as floriferous as dahlias. They are in bloom from June to the first frost and, with very little
