Cultivating Plants Alongside Dahlias: A Guide
For those looking to add a touch of exuberance and charm to their gardens, dahlias are a popular choice. These vibrant flowers, available in a wide range of colors and forms, can fill a border on their own due to their exuberance. However, pairing dahlias with complementary and contrasting border plants can enhance the overall appearance of the border and create a more diverse and visually appealing display.
To create a fragrant, wildlife-friendly, and visually appealing border with dahlias, consider the following planting combinations and tips:
**Companion flowers for filling gaps with dahlias**
Snapdragons, cosmos, orlaya, cornflower, nicotiana, ageratum, gaura, and calendula are excellent choices to complement dahlias. These plants add varied colors and textures while supporting pollinators and beneficial insects, enhancing the wildlife-friendliness of the border. An example of a successful dahlia and cosmos pairing is 'Happy Single Kiss' (orange Dahlia) and 'Dazzler' (pink Cosmos).
**Plants to add fragrance and vertical interest**
Incorporate climbers like sweet peas, clematis, or fragrant climbing roses such as ‘Zephirine Drouhin’, which provide seasonal scent and vertical focal points. These can be trained on trellises behind the border for height and a romantic touch.
**Avoid planting with dahlias**
Steer clear of water-loving plants like flag iris or marsh marigolds, as soggy soil can cause dahlia tuber rot. Large shrubs or perennials (e.g., hydrangeas, joe pye weed, tall rudbeckia) should also be avoided since they can overshadow dahlias and compete for nutrients and water. Although zinnias visually pair well, they can encourage powdery mildew when planted too close, so they are better located in adjacent, well-ventilated areas.
**Plants that attract pollinators and add color contrast**
Marigolds and cosmos attract pollinators and pests deterrent; they complement dahlias well. Other ornamental grasses such as Stipa gigantea and Pennisetum alopecuroides also work well with dahlias, and Verbena bonariensis, popular with pollinators, makes a great choice for wildlife-friendly planting schemes. Verbena bonariensis is suitable for blending with dahlias in borders, as its loose stems don't compete too much.
**Maintaining Dahlias**
To keep dahlias flowering until the first frosts, deadheading and regular feeding with a potash-rich feed are necessary. However, no specific details were provided about how to grow, take basal cuttings from, or care for dahlias beyond these mentions.
By following these guidelines, you can create a border that is not only visually stunning but also fragrant, wildlife-friendly, and free from common issues like mildew and nutrient competition that can affect dahlias. This combination ensures good airflow and sunlight, supports wildlife such as pollinators, and provides a multi-season visual and olfactory appeal.
To further enrich a home-and-garden lifestyle, consider integrating dahlias into your home-and-garden projects, particularly in the garden. By combining dahlias with companion flowers such as snapdragons, cosmos, orlaya, cornflower, nicotiana, ageratum, gaura, calendula, marigolds, other ornamental grasses, Stipa gigantea, Pennisetum alopecuroides, and Verbena bonariensis, a colorful, fragrant, and wildlife-friendly garden can be created. For added vertical interest, incorporate climbers like sweet peas, clematis, or fragrant climbing roses such as ‘Zephirine Drouhin'.
