Growing Dahlias In Pots

Believe it or not, all dahlias will grow in pots so long as there is good drainage and they are in full sun. The biggest challenge with growing dahlias in pots is making sure you pick the right sized pot for the variety you want to grow.

Some dahlia tuber varieties grow to over 1.2m tall and have massive flower heads which makes them very top heavy and unsuitable for growing in small pots. Tall dahlia varieties can also look a bit odd if planted into small pots without a fence or wall behind them. As a rule - the bigger/taller the dahlia variety, the bigger the pot.

Single or anemone dahlia tuber varieties are naturally smaller and with more delicate heads, which makes them perfect for pots. These dahlia varieties also have open faces which means that are really popular with pollinators. The pink dahlia below is a double flowering single called Fascination which comes as part of the Bermuda Collection and looks striking in a pot - the bees seem to think so too!

The pot below is too small for taller dahlia varieties such as the Cafe au Lait or the Babylon Bronze, however it can comfortably take a small ball variety such as the Natal dahlia tuber. It has also been carefully staked using bamboo canes for support. Another top tip is that it has been planted into a plastic pot so that it can be easily swapped out at the end of the flowering season.

Large tall planters such as the one below lend themselves perfectly to larger dahlia varieties. This one has been positioned against a wall for shelter and looks amazing with the waterlily Karma Prospero billowing out.

If you have large planters like mine below, you could plant two of three dahlia tubers in a pot this size. This planter is 60cm wide and 60cm deep however I still favour the varieties that are under 80cm so that the flowers aren't too tall. The wall also offers some support if they do need staking and protection from strong winds.

Thank you so much to Lise Matti for letting me use her stunning photos of dahlias in pots for this blog post. You can swoon over more of her images and video on her Instagram account www.instagram.com/lise.matti