April 9, 1889. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIODLTORE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



THE DAHLIA AS A BEDDING PLANT— STORING 

 THE TUBERS. 



Y many flower gardeners the florists' Dahlia is 

 voted a slow plant, its blooming period being 

 somewhat short, and its habit not a little in- 

 tractable ; for it refuses to submit, or yields 

 ■n-ith a very bad grace, to the. process of 

 pegging-down. The appearance of those 

 inevitable half-naked stakes is also decidedly 

 inartistic, remaining an eyesore for many 

 weeks during the eai-ly part of the season : 

 and even the habit and form of both plant 

 and flower are sometimes said to be almost vulgarly un- 

 graceful. Tliis last allegation, however, I take to proceed 

 more from the fact of the Dahlia being frequently met with 

 in positions not the most picturesque than from any vul- 

 garity in the flower itself. A stand of Dahlias at a flower 

 show as usually seen does not present a picture of beauty 

 calculated to throw a flower gardener into a state of ecstasy 

 any more than do the long lines and borders of our florist 

 friends, or the monotonously grand banks of our great 

 growers ; yet as a purely decorative plant, though not 

 fashionable, the Dahlia is a gorgeous subject. 



Like nine-tenths of all the bedding plants with which 

 we have to deal, it is seen to most advantage in circular 

 beds, and, up to a certain size, the larger they are the 

 better ; for it must be borne in mind that it is what is 

 called in common parlance a large-featured plant, large 

 both in leaf and flower, and to it as such the surrounding 

 features must be assimilated. Its forte is producing an 

 efteot, not near at hand, of rich heav}' luxiu-iance, tlie sort 

 of beauty we are supposed to admire in the foreground of 

 some higUy-coloured southern landscape. Yet when planted 

 in what are called the neutral or central beds of a large set 

 it is also very eflective, these acting as resting places for 

 the weary eye, which, tu-ed of scanning so much colour, 

 intuitively turns to and is pleased to rest upon something 

 more massive thau dazzling, and which tliose who love to 

 compare flower gardening to music would call the low rich 

 notes of the piece. 



For an isolated bed to stand entirely on its own merits 

 — for instance, a bed of V) feet in diameter — put one of the 

 tallest dark sorts in the centre ; round it, and at a distance 

 of 18 inches, have five mixed sorts, but inclining to ma- 

 roon ; again, at 2 feet, another circle, in which bronze and 

 crimson are the prevailing colours ; and at 2j feet, a third 

 ring, composed of pink, lilac, and orange varieties, with an 

 edging of Yellow Zelinda round the whole. Thus with- 

 out any very regular gradation of colours we pass from 

 sober to gay, the most striking being in the outer circles. 

 In arranging the distances, the nature of the soil and 

 situation must be considered ; but as a rule Dahlias should 

 be planted most thickly towards the centre of the bed, and 

 there tied up to single stakes, the distances increasing 

 with each circle. The plants towards the outside should 

 be trained v/ith three or more stems to as many stakes, 

 wliile those forming the edging may be pegged down with 

 more or less severity, so that the whole, when at perfection, 

 will form a pyramid not stiff, yet possessed of that sym- 



No. S67.— Vol. XIV., New Seeies . 



metry and balance, -without which no circular beds can 

 ever please the eye, no matter what their contents may be. 

 But the purpose for which we see the Dahlia most fre- 

 quently used in the flower garden is as a backing for ribbon 

 borders which have a wall or shrubbery behind. Now I 

 know it is ungenerous, if not unjust, to find fault with any- 

 thing, be it only a flower, without being able to give a 

 reason for p > doing. He who wrote — 



•' I (to not like thee. Dr. Fell"; 

 The reason why I cannot tell ; 

 But, I do not like thee. Dr. Fell," 



penned a piece of doggerel which gives expression to a 

 large amount of truth and bad logic ; yet, substituting, of 

 course, a Dahlia for the detested medical man, it exactly 

 expresses my humble opinion upon this floral subject. 

 Somehow or otlier Dahlias seem to make a ribbon border, 

 which is at any time the very essence of cut-and-dried 

 formality, still more formal. In borders similarly situated: 

 but planted in the mixed style, they do better, especially if 

 relieved by plants of lighter form, such as Humeas, and 

 when those immediately in front of them are of a height 

 sufficient to liide their lower parts. Tlius planted they 

 form an excellent background for what is, when well 

 arranged, a much more tasteful border than any planted 

 ribbon-fashion can ever be. 



Of bedding Dahlias proper there is now a rich variety, 

 and every year is adding to the number, but the selfs — 

 white, yellow, scarlet, and purple — are those most suitable 

 for flower-garden purposes, and may be introduced with 

 advantage into any set of beds where very early flowering 

 is not a primary consideration. They succeed best in a 

 rather light, not too rich soil, a spadeful or two of some- 

 thing good being given them at planting time to aflord 

 them a start ; after which then- mission being to flower, 

 they do so more speedily and profusely in somewhat poor 

 soil. 



A very attractive circular bed can be made by planting 

 the following sorts in rings 18 inches apart, round a centre 

 of Purple ZeUnda 2^ feet' in diameter : — First cu-cle. Tiger, 

 maroon : second. Prince Arthur, crimson : third, Crystal 

 Palace Scarlet; fourth, Titian, yellow; fifth. Alba flori- 

 bunda, white, and an edging of INIignonette, if on gravel, or 

 Prince of Orange Calceolaria, if on grass. Priuce Arthur, 

 crimson, edged with bands of Cineraria maritima and 

 Lobelia Paxtonii is also very effective, forming a quiet bed. 

 Tlie average height of these varieties being about 2^ feet, 

 only those forming the outer circles require pegging-down ; 

 for the others stakes short enough to be entkely hidden 

 should be used. Short, stout pieces of pea rods with part 

 of the branches left on, placed among tliem when the 

 flower stalks are well up, are also of great service, keeping 

 them from swaying with the wind, and even in the case of 

 those pegged down tliis precaution is sometimes necessary. 



Passing over the propagation and culture of the Dahlia 

 as sufficiently well known, allow me to say a word, how- 

 ever unseasonable, upon the storing of the roots over 

 winter. Sanctioned by custom, it has long been thought 

 a matter of great importance by many that the tubers 

 should when taken up in autumn be carefully dried, and 

 No. 1019.— Vol. XXXK., Old Series. 



