Dahlia 'Melody Pink Allegro' ® - Tuber

Your Dahlia tubers can be planted immediately upon receipt. Beware of frost as they are not hardy. End of April to mid-May is best if planting in the garden. Prepare a large hole and improve the soil with well rotted manure. Carefully plant the tubers and cover with 3-5 cm of soil. Press lightly down and water immediately. Dahlias bloom most profusely in a sunny spot.

Forcing your Dahlias. To have them flower early, you can 'force' your tubers. Place them in moist compost at 15-20 °C from the start of April. Pot up as soon as shoots appear. Harden to the outdoors from the start of May and plant in the garden (or in pots) from mid-May.

The patio Dahlia 'Melody Pink Allegro' makes a terrific, very long lasting cut flower for a vase. Best time to cut them is early morning. Plunge the stems immediately in a vase of luke-warm water containing cut-flower food.

Your patio dahlia 'Melody Pink Allegro' will bloom right through to the first frosts if you feed it on a monthly basis. Snip off overblown blooms to encourage reflowering. Make sure that the soil does not dry out during periods of drought.

It is easy to store Dahlias over the winter. Dig up the tubers after the first frosts. Cut back to around 15 cm and label the plant to avoid mix-ups in the spring. Shake off excess soil and store in a crate with peat or sharp sand in a frost-free place. Plant up the following spring and you will be rewarded with more lovely flowers.