Dahlia tips for ‘endless blooms’: Gardener details how she grows perfect flowers

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Sophie Valentine is a gardener who shares her tips and tricks on her Instagram account. The busy working mum of three young boys is passionate about her garden and grows gorgeous flowers, posting her expertise on her Instagram account @lookinsidemygarden.

The mum grows stunning dahlias, and she gave Express.co.uk her tips to grow them in your garden.

She previously detailed her milk carton hack, which she claimed is a “really easy way to get growing” from seed.

Sophie detailed a number of important tips for your dahlias. She said: “Help protect them from slugs and make sure they get plenty of sun.

“Don’t overwater them, make sure you regularly cut the flowers and you will get endless blooms up until the first frost.”

Sophie began planning her 2022 dahlia’s six weeks ago, putting in her order.

She is growing her dahlias from tubers. Sophie impressed the importance of storing dahlia tubers, which come connected together in clusters, somewhere dry if you are waiting to plant them, potentially in sawdust.

This will help to combat mould which could kill the plants before you’ve even got them in the ground.

Sophie demonstrated how to use a stanley blade to separate the tubers, keeping the eyes on, which then grow into dahlia.

Tubers a potted and grown indoors from late March to April.

When they have been brought into growth they can be planted in the garden in May.

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Where to plant dahlias

Dahlias grow best in sheltered spots with lots and lots of sun.

The best spot is a south or west-facing border.

They like moist, well-drained soil, and are very susceptible to frost.

This is why they must be kept inside or in a greenhouse ’til around May.

It’s important to water dahlias regularly, and they need extra gardening in hot, dry weather.

It is also advisable to feed them with extra fertaliser.

If, like Sophie, you are currently storing dahlia tubers keep them in a shallow create or open the box.

Then cover them with something such as sand or dry compost, to insulate them and keep them dry.

Sophie recently shared a Calpol trick to grow sweet peas. 

She puts soil into used toilet roll tubes and uses a pencil to create a narrow tunnel in the soil before putting her sweet pea seeds in here.

Sophie uses the pencil again to cover them over with a little of the soil.

In her special trick, the gardener also squeezes 5ml of Calpol into every tube.

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