Dahlias are a bit of an old-fashioned garden plant - but they grow so well and their fleshy tubers give them some drought tolerance! Flowering and growth has been slow this year - because of the cool summer - especially the tubers that were planted for the first time in Spring.
This image of a painting by Constance Macky, from the 6th issue of Art in Australia (1919) captures the flamboyance and height of the dahlia well.
The caption in Art in Australia calls them
chrysanthemums,but any gardener would recognise them as dahlias! It's
growth like that in this image that I remember from the front garden of
one of my Nanna Johnson's friends - Mrs Blyton, in Tinana - Rectangular
beds with cement edging and cement paths between, tall plants with huge
flowers, some shelter from the wind and well supported by tomato stakes.I overwinter the dahlias in the ground here in Canberra (and maybe lift and replant every 3 years). They start to re-shoot when it warms up - just need to keep snails at bay. Fortunately, I have some blue tongue lizards living in the garden, and they have decimated the snail population in the front yard at least.
The best place to see or find out about dahlias is annual showing of local Dahlia clubs and specialist books such as this 1920 volume by Ed Pescott - Maybe somewhat of an anachronism these days!
One reliable performer is Dahlia 'Bishop of Landaff' with red flowers and maroon foliage - it only grows to moderate height and doesn't need staking
I sometimes buy tubers by mail-order or get them from Bunnings in early Spring.
