Dahlia 'Fireworks Mixed'

• 
  RHS Plants for Pollinators plants

  This plant will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects.

  It is included in an evolving list of plants carefully researched and chosen by RHS experts. Divided into 3 groups these lists, linked below, are maintained by a team of RHS staff and are reviewed annually.

  • Garden Plants
  • Wildflowers
  • Plants of the World

Cultivation

Grow in full sun, in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter and general-purpose fertiliser. Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushy plants. Water freely in dry periods. Lift and store tubers in autumn to replant, or use as a source of cuttings, in spring. See dahlia cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, or by softwood cuttings taken in spring from shoots from stored tubers, or divide the tubers, ensuring each section has at least one viable bud

Suggested planting locations and garden types

• City and courtyard gardens
• Cottage and informal garden
• Patio and container plants
• Wildlife gardens
• Cut flowers
• Flower borders and beds
• Bedding

Pruning

Deadhead to prolong flowering. Cut back to near ground level in autumn, once frost has damaged foliage, before lifting and storing for the winter

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, capsid bugs, caterpillars, earwigs nibbling flowers, glasshouse red spider mite and slugs

Diseases

May be susceptible to Powdery mildews in dry conditions, fungal rots including grey mould in wet conditions and in storage, and a virus that causes stunting, leaf markings and distortion