46 
GARDENING IN THE SOUTHWEST 
Where to 
Plant 
Soil 
Require¬ 
ments of 
Dahlias 
Division 
of Tubers 
How to 
Plant 
Water 
Required 
Stakes 
Needed 
too deep. Do not cover the crowns. Every spring and fall scatter a 
handful of lime around each plant and a week or so later a hand¬ 
ful of bonemeal and some hardwood ashes. Coal ashes put around 
the crowns in the fall help protect the plants during the winter 
months. Water thoroughly about twice a week in the summer. 
When summer heat comes, mulch the bed with several inches of 
sand. 
Delphiniums should be planted in a bed on the east side of the 
house, for they need to be protected from the afternoon sun. If you 
have plenty of room in your garden, a lath-covering, as used in 
California, is an effective protection from afternoon sun. 
DAHLIAS 
With Dahlias, as with all other plants, to have large beautiful 
blooms and healthy growth, the soil must be properly prepared. 
Cow manure or a well-balanced commercial fertilizer should be 
thoroughly worked into your soil a month or more before plant¬ 
ing. Then respade your bed and plant. Be sure that you have good 
drainage. 
In the spring when danger of frost is over, cut your clumps of 
tubers apart with a sharp knife (being careful not to break the 
neck of each and leaving a sprouting eye to each tuber). Plant 
these separately, leaving the topmost part of the sprout from one 
to two inches below the surface of the ground, the deeper planting 
being recommended for the northern sections of the Southwest. 
To plant the tuber, lay it on its side with the sprouting side 
up. Cover with a handful of sand and fill the hole with two inches 
of moist topsoil. Space your tubers about three or four feet apart. 
Do not water much, for this causes decay, but cultivate the soil 
slightly, so it cannot bake. The time to water or fertilize freely is 
when the flower-buds appear. 
When planting, always insert your stake slightly to one side, 
because a Dahlia stalk should be tied as it grows to protect it 
against winds. When the tuber has sent up several sprouts, cut 
away all but one stalk, forcing the strength of the plant into the 
one development. 
