Dahlias 2011 season

I certainly will! Thanks, Tel. ;D Yes, it is (and was) a serious question. I'd very much like to have the new dahlias in flower for my open days. They're destined for my island bed.

I managed to 'force' a pot of lilies into flower last year in time. I'll try again this year, too! ;D

At Stuart Ogg's we used to show at Chelsea. Of course, all grown in the glasshouse. I don't recall exactly the growing schedule, I'll try to recall (I was only a youngster at the time!!) but I guess we would have started tubers off pretty much as soon as they had been "rested" after lifting, so, end Nov/start Dec?
I used to be allowed to take Friday pm off from school (by the teacher's) to go up to the show to help take down and sell off the blooms. Could never understand why people would buy dahlia blooms that had been cut for a week and displayed in a hot marquee, but they did.

Ah, but we were needing to have 100's of blooms ready for early May. As Terry said, pinch out the growing tip at end of March and you then have 8 weeks to force on in a heated greenhouse. *Should* be sufficient time 'cos planting out at the end of May, in natural weather conditions, it takes about 8 weeks to reach flowering maturity.

to encourage side shoots to grow in the leaf axils, which will form your main blooms.....if you don't all the energy goes into the main bud, delaying the side shoots.

I always pinch out my small varieties, or stop, very early May as i need my blooms 2nd week in august.
That way i get main buds forming from early July and from those you can choose which ones will be flowering when you want them to by growing either the main bud or choosing wing buds or even ones lower down the leaf axils.

You see though you ladies are always picking on us, we are still willing to help.

HELP !! I potted some of my dahlias up a few weeks ago, but to day I notice one of them has mould on it, what do I do ?? or have they had it. When I planted them they didnt feel soft ! Do I cover the complete tuber with compost ?