I never got around to planting any dahlias this spring, so I was absolutely enthralled to see a gorgeous scarlet red beauty pop up on my hill this summer [must have over-wintered against the odds... don't you just love it when that happens? One of the few perks of global warming :0/ ].

It was blooming very nicely with multiple buds earlier in the summer but recently it's been quiet. There are still buds on it but I haven't seen any open in some weeks. I am wondering if something is hurting it---pests, lack of watering, lack of mulching---or if it's just taking a little siesta.

I did notice that some of the leaves get brown and that even green ones seem to have a dull film on them... it doesn't exactly look diseased, but it doesn't look right to me either. The leaves are also somewhat small and few in number.

Does anything send up a red flag? It did fine without mulch (I never mulched it because I didn't know it was there or what it was until it bloomed), and then I just sort of let well enough alone I suppose.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Jessie

Cheers,
Russ

Spider mites, huh? I'll look into that... the bugs do seem to really like dahlias. In previous years, it was ants.

Thanks for responding!

Jessie

Here's hoping you don't see anything move...

Cheers,
Russ