Dahlias are dazzling, dependable flowers

Dazzling, delightful and dependable dahlias. Mark Hurst's passion for these flowers creates beauty in his landscape and some to share with others.

If you have noticed great dahlias at the county and state fair, they likely included some from his garden.

Hurst and his wife, Sue, are longtime gardeners in West Valley City, but their focus wasn't always on dahlias.

"I always grew vegetables, but one day I just started growing flowers," Mark said. "A gentleman across the street gave me my first tubers in 2003 — or around that time. I messed up growing them the first couple of years and didn't do too well, but since that time they have been my favorite flower."

"Dahlias are fascinating flowers," he said "You get more bang for your buck with them than any other flower. They start blooming in mid-July and keep blooming until frost. This morning I cut three large bucketfuls for a local floral designer."

The plants originated in Mexico and Central America and made their way to Spain and across Europe. They were named after a Swedish botanist Anders Dahl and were originally grow as a food crop. The tubers have the texture and taste of a spicy potato with spicy smelling foliage.

Dahlias are members of the Composite family and are related to chrysanthemums and daisies. In our area they are tender, so they have to be taken in or protected during the winter.

Hurst's advice for a growing area is to think tomatoes. If you have a good spot for tomatoes, you can grow dahlias. They need six hours of sunlight to thrive, but the light intensity varies with the flower color.

Hurst points out the growing areas in his garden and explains their pros and cons.

"The more pale the dahlia, the more brightness it can tolerate, but deeper colors might fade when exposed to full sun during the bloom stage. I plan to put some shade cloth over those beds because it helps the flowers grow bigger and last longer."

He further explains their space requirements. "Don't expect to plant a tuber in any bare spot in the garden. Plants should be 36 inches apart, or even more, as some feeder roots can extend over two feet. Even dwarf dahlias sold as bedding plants in the spring will fill out a 24-inch space.

To help his plants grow better, Hurst adds homemade compost to the beds to create a fertile, loose and well-drained soil.

One of the most important aspects of growing dahlias is the support system. Many varieties grow very tall, and the large flowers are very heavy. Hurst said there are many methods to support the plants including tomato cages and stakes. Hurst noted gardeners should insert the stakes at planting time to avoid piercing the tubers.