'Orange Emperor' Cactus Dahlia Tubers

Dahlia Orange Emperor

Refined, tall, orange dahlia with single flowers to 12cm wide. To 1m

Always grow in full sun, in a big pot, if necessary, with well-drained soil. Stake well in early summer to stop those big exotic flowers flopping.

Features

• Colour: orange
• Flower size: 12cm
• Type: Single dahlia
• Cutting: yes
• Height/spread: 1m x 50cm
• Flowering: July to November
• Planting months: late February to July

Did you know?

To tell a spent dahlia flower from a bud, remember that a spent flower is always conical, whereas an unopened bud is rounded.

All dahlias do best in deep rich soil with good drainage in a sunny spot. If it is windy they will need staking. They are greedy, thirsty plants so will need watering in dry spells, and they will always flower just that little bit better if there is a bit of soluble food in the watering can once every couple of weeks.

If you ignore seed, Dahlias can be planted at three stages: as tubers, rooted cuttings and pot-grown plants.

Dahlia tubers can be planted at any time from March onwards. The hole should be at least double the diameter of the tuber laid out on the ground. Incorporate about 25% well rotted compost and if drainage is in any way doubtful then add plenty of horticultural grit as well. Plant one tuber per hole, leaving 60-80 cms between plants (depending on final size) and make sure the tuber is covered with 10-12 cms (4-5") of soil. This is important as it will insulate the tuber against frosts in March-May as they will take a couple of months to show.

Rooted cuttings, which are available from early April onwards, will need to be potted up and kept in a sunny and frost free place until they are ready to be planted out in mid May. Their treatment then is the same as for tubers except they are planted level with rather than 10 cms below the surrounding soil level.

Pot grown plants are not delivered until June, and are then planted out immediately in the same way as an established rooted cutting.

The more you deadhead, the more dahlias flower.