Pest Management

We don’t use conventional pesticides on our plants. Instead, we take a hands‑on, integrated approach to managing harmful insects. First, we routinely inspect the gardens and remove pests by hand. At the same time, we closely inspect plants for signs of viruses and remove any that show symptoms to help protect the rest of the garden. Second, we receive routine deliveries of beneficial insects, such as green lacewings and nematodes, which we release into the gardens before and throughout the growing season. Thirdly, we may use naturally derived pest products such as horticultural oils, insecticidal soap, and neem to help control pests and ensure healthier plants.

Sterilizing Equipment

Minimizing virus transmission is important to us. When we’re cutting flowers, stems, stalks, or dividing tubers, we disinfect our clippers between every plant. We do this by soaking our cutters in a 10% bleach solution between cuts. In practice, we carry a mason jar filled with the bleach solution while we work, with one or more cutters soaking while we clip.

Blooms & Tubers

On the slim chance your dahlia doesn’t seem to be what you purchased, please send us a photo of the bloom and we’ll make it right. We also want to share that we don’t buy or sell imported tubers.

Care for your Tubers

Our tubers are guaranteed to arrive in good condition with at least one visible eye. Please inspect them when they arrive and let us know within 7 days if there are any issues.

Until planting, store your tubers in a cool, dark place and protect them from freezing. We store our tubers at temperatures between 40–50°F with relative humidity between 30–70%, and we recommend similar conditions at your home. Be sure they don’t dry out before planting.

Once the tubers are in your care, storage, planting, and ongoing care are beyond our control. For that reason, we can’t be responsible for tubers that dry out, are improperly stored, rot after planting, or are affected by other conditions outside our control.

Planting your Tubers

On our New York property, we typically plant tubers in early May, once the frost risk has passed and the soil temperature is around 60°F.  We plant them one foot apart and 4-6 inches deep, laid horizontally with the eye facing upwards. There’s no need to water right away. There is plenty of moisture in the tuber to get the plant started. We usually wait to water until the plant is 6-12” tall.

We find that most dahlia plants benefit from some support structure to lean into, such as a post or tomato cage. If you’re using a stake, loosely tie the plant as it grows, especially once blooms begin and the top becomes heavier. For longer rows, we corral our dahlias with twine tied to a series of posts to keep them supported and upright.