In Maine, September is peak dahlia season!  And, our gardens at Hardy Farm are loaded with buds and exploding with color right now!  Our lush gardens are one of our trademarks, and something really special that we pride ourselves on and we think sets Hardy Farm apart. This time of year, with the dahlias in their prime, they take center stage…offering their best blooms of the season with bold colors and large flowers.  

 

Sierra McLaughlin, our manager and resident gardening expert, has a special love for dahlias.  We are so lucky to have her dedicated and nurturing hands and expertise tending these plants throughout the year!  She lovingly grows the tubers in individual containers indoors each spring, and when it’s warm enough to plant outside (mid-late May for us in Fryeburg – after the last frost has passed and the soil warms to 60 degrees), she strategically plants them throughout the Hardy Farm garden beds to allow for the late season reveal of dramatic bursts of different colors and textures.  She has mailed tubers to family members that show interest in having their own dahlias at home and provided tubers to members of the Hardy Farm- lucky us!  The dividing of tubers and then sharing the love with others is something that Sierra finds special and rewarding. 

These incredible flowers are worth the wait!  The late season reward of stunning displays works especially well as other garden plants begin the fade.  The dahlias definitely steal the show this time of year!  Now is the perfect time to enjoy these showstoppers as they reach peak production – benefitting from those warm days and cooler nights that encourage abundant flowering.  To keep them flowering well into the fall (late October into November) we recommend using a low nitrogen fertilizer once every 3 weeks.  So beautiful!!!  

When these beauties are done for the season, it’s time to dig them up. It’s best to dig dahlia tubers after the first light frost has killed the foliage but before a hard freeze.  Wait one to two weeks after the first light frost to allow the tubers to cure and toughen up, then cut the stalks down to a few inches and carefully dig them up.  Be sure to leave the tuber in the ground longer to mature for better storage, but keep an eye on the weather and if a hard freeze is expected, dig them immediately.   

To store them, you should first clean off excess soil and allow them to dry for a few days to prevent rot or shriveling if stored too soon.  Then, pack the dried tubers in a cool, dark, frost-free location, ideally between 40-50 degrees F.  We are lucky enough to have a root cellar at Hardy Farm with just the perfect conditions.  You can store them in paper bags or plastic bins with an absorbent medium like peat moss, dry shavings, or even wrap them individually in newspaper.  You can check them periodically throughout the winter and adjust humidity as needed by spritzing lightly with water if they seem too dry or by using a drier medium if they are beginning to get soft or rot.   

We love that these incredible flowers have such a long blooming cycle and their spectacular, diverse flowers are worth the wait each year!   It’s no wonder they are a popular and versatile choice for weddings given their diverse colors, elegant shapes, and impressive, varied sizes.  And did you know that they symbolize elegance, commitment and inner strength?  How perfect is that?  And, they definitely add a dramatic, show-stopping effect to bridal bouquets and other wedding arrangements.  While they are a significant focal point, they can also be an affordable option to consider for a late summer, early fall wedding.  

 

We’re hoping to keep those blooms coming for many more weeks!

 

Photographer credits: Elizabeth Prybylo, Gabriella Riggieri, Hallie Jade, James Hardman, Kelly Elliott, Studio North and Maine Tinker.