Native to Mexico, dahlias are not winter hardy here in New England. I love growing them on my deck where it gets quite hot during the summer. They require frequent watering in that spot but so lovely to look at. But before it gets frosty around here, I have to bring the plants in the house to let the tubers ride out winter in dormancy.
Remember that warm spell in December? Yeah, it woke up one of the dahlias. Inside the house. Darn thing sprouted. I figured when cold hit again, it would die back again.
Nope.
So I moved it to sit in front of the slider to the deck and gave it some water. It's quite happy there. More stalks sprouted. And on January 1, I noticed this. Yep. A bud. The rest of them are still dormant (or perhaps dead?). At that point, the temperatures outside were cold enough to freeze my car dead. Right next to the slider is one of coldest spots in my house. But the dahlia just merrily rolled along with budding growth. And now, yes, January 17, fresh snow on the ground, temps cold enough to freeze the water bottles outside, and my dahlia is blooming.
Way cool! Perfect timing. A pretty pink bloom in winter does make one feel cheery. Just brought home some pink tulips and plopped them in the vase. They were wide open by dinner.
Posted by: Manise | January 17, 2013 at 07:33 PM
Daffy yes. But exquisite!
Posted by: Laurie | January 17, 2013 at 09:37 PM