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Decorative dahlias how tall should they get?

9 years ago

I've planted a row of deep red, pink and white dahlias this spring and they seem to be doing lovely. Green leaves and lots of buds. I believe they are the small decorative types. They are getting kind of bush like though. Many of the beautiful flowers get hidden by the foliage.

How tall are they supposed to be? Should I prune buds more to get taller stems or fertilize more? Is it ok to cut off some leaves to see the flowers?

Thanks

Comment (1)

morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
9 years ago
I do notice that my Harlequin (also small, bushy, decorative dahlia) tend to act like that early on. Later, the flowers seem to grow more at the branch tips and show off more. For me, that's now--but I feed a lot.

I'm not sure of the variety you use, so that may differ.

You can prune buds to get larger flowers if you want to, but I don't bother. The 2" flowers on decorative dahlia look about right. It doesn't do much for taller stems, though.

And if you can't resist pruning a few leaves, go ahead--but don't go overboard on that. The leaves are producing energy.
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