Now the cold weather is here, and it's time to prepare your plants for the drop in temperature and harsher conditions. Sarah Raven has shared her foolproof trick for keeping your dahlias alive through the season without removing them from the ground.
If you're into sustainable garden ideas, you'll probably make it a priority to keep your hardier plants alive through the winter, whether you dig their bulbs out or protect them from the winter frost with fleece.
And whilst digging out plants to store somewhere sheltered is a great option it requires a lot of effort and space. Gardening expert Sarah Raven has an alternative method for winter-proofing dahlias that requires half the elbow grease and shed space.
Sarah Raven's tip for winter-proof dahlias
Now is the time to get busy outside protecting your garden from heavy rain and the inevitable frost. Even if you've invested in some of the best winter bedding plants, there's lots of prep work to do when it comes to the winter season.
You might've been dreading dealing with your dahlias and the whole process of digging them out, drying them and finding somewhere for storage. Luckily for you, Sarah Raven is here with a much simpler low-effort solution.
Sharing the advice on Instagram @sarahRavensgarden, she says, "The secret to easy dahlias is autumn mulching!"
Whether you know how to make your own compost at home or are a regular at the garden centre, it's no secret that mulch is a great all-rounder. Especially when it comes to winter, it can be a great insulator alternative to using old towels in your garden. This is why this method works so great for dahlias.
Sarah explains the process, "Once dahlias have finished flowering it’s time to cut them back and remove the long stems. Then use secateurs to cut back the base of the stems to around 5cm."
Don't worry about whether or not you should be deadheading dahlias as the practice is great for their health. In fact, cutting them back is a crucial part of how to grow dahlias successfully.
Once you've cut down your dahlia plant to size, it's time to get your mulch out. Sarah says, "Add your mulch over the stems. You can use garden waste compost or soil from old pots, but the drier the better! Make sure plants are clearly labelled and leave over winter."
This is a great opportunity to use wine corks in your garden to label your plants throughout the winter. Just make sure you know your soil type and it's not going to be too wet to keep the bulbs from rotting through the season and its weather.
Shop dahlia maintenance products
RRP: £26.49 | It's always best to invest a little more money into your gardening tools if you can. Not only so they do the job right they also last longer. This one from B&Q has a hammer-finished blade and comes with a year guarantee.
RRP: £27.45 | As this method calls for a particularly dry mulch this one from Amazon with straw included in it is a superb choice. It can be used all over your garden for weed killing, edging and lining your container plants.
RRP: £11.99 | Having a high-quality pair of secateurs can make a simple job all that much easier, even if you are just using them to cut through your dahlia stems before adding mulch.
Once you've prepped your dahlias why not try out Sarah Raven's winter vegetable planting advice and get ahead on your veggie harvest?
