Sylvia Dahlia Tubers

Sylvia: Ball Dahlia Tubers

Sylvia Dahlias are a must if you want to add warmth and contrast to your late summer and autumn borders. A ball variety, her warm orange flowers measure up to 11cm across with petals curving back to give a spherical form. The centre and base of the petals appear a more intense shade. The flowers are carried on highly unusual deep brown stems, held above deep green foliage, complementing the autumnal shades of the blooms.
Sylvia is also excellent as a long-lasting cut flower, especially with dark or rich-coloured dahlias with different forms.
Browse our other Ball Dahlias or our full range of Dahlias here.

Features

• Colour: Warm orange
• Foliage: Green divided leaves, brown stems
• Flower Size: 11cm across
• Type: Ball Dahlia
• Cutting: Yes
• Height/Spread: 80cm x 50cm
• Flowering: July to November
• Outdoor Planting Months: March to July

Growing Sylvia Dahlias

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 that little bit better if there is a bit of soluble food in the watering can once every couple of weeks.

It is generally more convenient to put support stakes in at planting time, rather than leaving it until there is foliage in the way.

Planting Companions for Sylvia

Grow her in the middle of the border alongside other dahlias in darker shades, such as Arabian Night or Rip City.

Try her in large pots: she is such a compact plant that you can get away with a 7.5 litre pot if you are short of space. Grow her with purple Salvias and Verbena bonariensis for a different look.

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

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 flowers you'll get.

Did You Know?

There have been six Dahlia varieties called Sylvia, the first one dating back to the 1840's. This one is a Dutch lass from the turn of the millennium and was introduced to the UK commercially in 2001.