Dahlias stand out noticeably among any flower garden. Regardless of the variety, they are always spectacular and stately. Gardeners especially appreciate dahlias not only for their beauty, but also for their long flowering period. To date, dahlias, bred at the end of the 30th century, have about 15 species and more than 000 varieties. Below we will consider a charming representative of the mixed type of these flowers – the Vancouver dahlia.
Characteristics of a variety
Vancouver dahlia is a decoration of any garden or flower bed. This flower has a rather impressive height – from 100 to 120 cm. At the same time, despite this height, Vancouver has strong and durable stems with dark green thick leaves. Unlike other tall dahlias, the Vancouver variety does not need an additional garter to the support.
The flowering period of Vancouver dahlias begins in July and ends in early or mid-September. All this time, beautiful and lush flowers of lilac color are formed on Vancouver dahlias, which smoothly flows into a milky white hue at the tips of the petals. During full dissolution, the Vancouver inflorescence can reach a diameter of 20–25 cm. In addition to its extraordinary beauty, the flower exudes a slight pleasant smell. Each inflorescence retains its beauty for 2-3 weeks.
Dahlias Vancouver look great not only in the garden, but also in a bouquet. Cut flowers are distinguished by their durability, and their freshness will last for 5-7 days.
Recommendations for growing
Vancouver dahlias can be propagated both by seeds and vegetatively. Most often, gardeners choose the second method, using tubers or harvested cuttings as planting material. When seed planting Vancouver, it is worth preparing seedlings in advance. Seeds for her are planted in March or April.
Vancouver dahlias are very cold sensitive. Therefore, it is recommended to plant them no earlier than the end of April-beginning of May. In this case, the landing site must meet the following conditions:
- be sunny;
- have a light structure and rich soil composition;
- be protected from the wind.
Before planting dahlias, it is worth preparing holes in advance. Each of them should be three times the size of the root system of the flower. In most cases, a hole of 40×40 cm will be enough. It is also important that after the roots are immersed in the ground, another 5-7 cm remains above them. Manure, compost or nitrophoska can be put on the bottom of the hole. Before immersing the Vancouver seedling in the hole, the fertilizer should be lightly mixed with the ground. After planting, the seedlings should be well shed with water and the soil should be mulched.
Further care for Vancouver dahlias will include:
- Polive. In this case, it is necessary to focus on the condition of the soil, preventing it from drying out and waterlogging. Without rain, 1-2 waterings per week will be enough for these flowers.
- Mulching. This procedure will save the gardener from the need for weeding and loosening the flower bed. In addition, the mulch will protect the flowers from slugs.
- top dressing. Fertilize Vancouver every 2 weeks throughout its growth. For best results, mineral fertilizers should be alternated with organic ones. Before the appearance of the first buds, it is worth using ammonium nitrate, tincture of mullein or bird droppings. With the appearance of buds, it is recommended to change these fertilizers to superphosphate or fertilizers containing potassium.
- Pruning. Removing excess shoots is necessary for Vancouver dahlias to form larger inflorescences. Due to this, trimmed bushes become more decorative. In addition to unnecessary shoots, it is worth removing some buds. It is recommended to leave 1 or 2 buds on each peduncle.
After flowering, Vancouver dahlia tubers must be dug up for winter storage. To do this, in mid-September, when the first frosts are likely to occur, the stems of dahlias should be cut, leaving 15 cm above ground level. After a few days, the tubers of these bushes can be dug up and harvested for wintering at a temperature of +5 to +3 degrees.
You can learn more about how to prepare dahlias for wintering from the video:
