OVERWINTERING DAHLIAS

After managing to hurt my back last week while removing the three Fascination dahlias from their large pots, (silly me) I've had to give gardening a rest.  It's been a nuisance having such fine weather as we have been having and not being able to do any of the many gardening jobs that need doing, but there are times when you just have to accept things.  Last night we had icy temperatures.  I woke up to find the lawn covered in a white hoar of frost and the shed too.  That means I need to get on with some of my jobs before it's too late. Today my back problem has eased to the point that I can continue with what I needed to do to protect the dahlias during winter. 

Fascination dahlia, fascinating a bumble bee

Last week when I removed the dahlias from their pots, I carefully removed much of the compost from around the tuberous roots.  I cut down the stems to about 6 inches and rested the root balls upside down in the shed to allow any moisture to drain from the stems.  Today I put the root balls into smaller pots which I filled with vermiculite right up to stem level.  I have no room in the shed and no room in my home to overwinter the dahlias, so I have put them into a garden storage chest (a Keter Deluxe Cushion Box) and covered them with garden fleece.  I hope they survive another year.  I think they will.



I've still got a lot of jobs to do.  I need to tidy the garden for one thing.  I am going to bring in the tuberous begonias soon, when the top growth starts to die back.  Then I will remove the dying stems and store the tubers in a similar fashion to the dahlias.  I place them in vermiculite, wrapped in garden fleece, for overwintering.  You can grow begonias indoors over winter but I just don't want to be looking after them all the winter months, I already have the fibrous rooted begonia 'Heaven White' indoors.  I will let the begonias rest and replant them next spring. 



I've also got to plant my yellow hyacinth bulbs and my tulip bulbs.  There's still plenty of time so they can be done another day.  I also need to bring the two pots containing the climber jasmine officinale 'clotted cream' grown at the front of the house around to the back garden where I can give them more shelter.  I was going to plant them in a border against the fence, and I still might, but until I decide what to do I need to give them protection from freezing temperatures.  I do know they are not totally hardy. 



Meanwhile, it's been lovely watching the birds busily coming and going from my two seed feeders.  I saw a Robin with its lovely red breast the other day.  I often wonder where they disappear to during summer.