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The plants are already waist high.
Right now, bright, beautiful dahlias are blooming in Martha’s garden.
“Dahlias start to come into their own around this time, producing an abundance of spectacular blooms that continue until the first frost,” Martha explains in a recent blog post.
“My dahlia garden is tucked behind my vegetable greenhouse, where the plants are exposed to full sun and shelter from strong winds,” she says. “However, as the plants grow taller, their hollow stems need support to keep the blossoms upright. My crew carefully stakes the plants every year using wood and jute twine, ensuring the flowers remain strong, healthy, and beautiful throughout the season.”
Most of Martha’s dahlia plants are about knee- to waist-high already. Some are even taller. And it’s important to make sure they are properly supported as they grow, especially those that produce larger, heavier blooms.
In the blog post, our founder shares how her grounds crew supports the blooms.
First, strong stakes are pounded into the ground about a foot deep, along the end of each plant row. Her gardener, Matthew Orrego, then ties two lengths of twine in two different positions on each stake, one closer to the ground, the other about a foot and a half higher. This gives the growing plants support from two places.
The twine runs the length of the row on both sides of the plants and is positioned to gently hold the stems up as they lean. This also makes it easy to reach the flowers for cutting.
Jute twine is a good choice for staking plants because it combines softness, strength, and biodegradability while being environmentally friendly. “I use jute twine for many garden projects around the farm,” Martha shares.
Her dahlia plants are growing in an area that was once used for grapes. “It’s proven excellent for growing dahlias. I am looking forward to seeing more and more of the gorgeous blooms in the weeks ahead,” she says.
The plants grow more blooms when they get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day.
“Dahlias are one of the most rewarding plants to grow in the garden because they are easy to care for, have so many different colors and forms, and have long-lasting blooms,” Martha shares.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart
