Dahlias do not return

Leo A. Martin leo@possi.org
Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:49:13 PDT
Recall something about Dahlia species... they are tropical montane,
cloud-forest and/or alpine plants from Mexican mountains. They normally
experience summer rain and dry winters. Summer daytime high temperatures
are only rarely as high as 90 F / 32C, often much lower, and summer nights
may be in the 40s F / 5-6C. Winter days and nights are almost exactly the
same, but no rain. They are quite wet in the cool summer. If you travel in
their Mexican habitats when there has been rain you will find them in
ditches beside the road. They grow alongside plants such as Salvia
elegans, Lobelia species, and Calceolaria species.

If we can get Dahlia hybrid tubers in the fall they do fine here in
Phoenix winters protected from frost, but they're a lot of trouble so I
don't bother.

They grow fantastically well in the display bed outside the Victorian
conservatory in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. I would
expect the English, Scots and Irish grow them very well also.

Leo Martin
Phoenix Arizona USA


More information about the pbs mailing list