I Bought Dahlias At the Garden Center

A time has arrived when many gardeners visit garden centers to buy new plants. Garden centers are a place where you can exchange opinions and experiences, talk to interesting people, and finally choose and buy a plant. I really love going to the garden center.

 

 

I must say, I grow dahlias every year, but over the years they become smaller and less beautiful. They say this is a characteristic of dahlias, that the roots gradually lose their ability to produce large flowers.

Growing dahlias is not difficult, but storing them over winter until spring is more difficult. I've tried storing them in wax, dry peat, and moss. In the spring, I have no confidence that last year's dahlias survived, and I usually prefer to buy something new for the garden. 

I especially like pom-pom dahlias. They have such beautiful, dense blooms on long stems. I also like them cut, arranged in a vase. The round, dense flowers match well with delphiniums and cosmos. 

 

As a result of my visit to the garden center, I bought several pom-pon dahlia roots in different colors. I will grow them in a pot before planting in the garden in June.

 

Do you love dahlias and how do you store them before planting them in the garden? Perhaps you'd prefer to buy already blooming dahlias at a garden center?

 P.S. All photos of dahlias in this post were taken by me at the Munich Botanical Garden.

Spring Is Here

 

   

Spring has already taken over my garden. Daytime temperatures are +20°C, and nights are cooler, +6°C. The buds on the rose bushes have noticeably enlarged and turned red. It's wonderful to see the roses come alive after winter. They overwintered without any special cover.

 

Not only the bushes but also the moles have awakened. They're actively digging holes and ruining the lawn. It looks like I'll have to tidy up the lawn and fill in the holes with soil. Although there's no guarantee the moles won't dig holes elsewhere.

 

The tomato and pepper seedlings are slowly growing. I planted them late this spring. I hope they'll be strong when I plant them in the soil in the greenhouse.

 

 

 

The annual flower seedlings are doing well. They're developing quickly and already have leaves. I hope my porch will be beautifully decorated with flowers.

 

The bright blue stars of chionodoxa are scattered throughout the garden. They've replaced the crocuses, which are already fading.

 

White pushkinia and blue scilla are also not far behind the chionodoxa and say: Spring in the garden! 

 I love this time of year when new life begins in the garden.

Spring Comes To My Northern Garden

 No matter how much the body is in the city, it is always a little colder in the garden. The snow has already melted but the earth is warming up slowly.

During the day the temperature is usually +12C but at night it still drops to +3C. Of course, the grass is ahead of all the plants, in some places it is already green.

I am always pleased to see how rhododendrons come to life after winter. Their leaves straighten and the plants begin to grow. Flower buds also increase in size.

 

 Black currant bushes open their leaves. Soon the bushes will produce flower pods with small buds. Bees and bumblebees really love these early flowers on currants.

 

 By the way, bees are already collecting nectar from crocuses and  Leucojums (summer snowflake). This year, these small flowers did not survive the winter well and I will probably transplant them to another place in the fall.

 

 

My favorite huge climbing Flammentanz rose grows in the front garden. When it was smaller, I covered it for the winter. Over the years, It's become difficult for me to bend it down to the ground and cover it. This rose is very prickly. Now it's overwintering without shelter and it seems to me that this spring it looks good. 

 

I notice changes in the plants every time I visit the garden. Spring brings new and joyful things. I visit the garden often now because my vegetable seedlings are growing and I'll plant them in the greenhouse soon.

All the best, take care!