Dahlia Imperialis

It’s a great idea to plant and grow Tree Dahlia (Dahlia imperialis). Zone 23 is perfect for growing one, and it is not difficult to grow, but this is the wrong time to plant it. Wait until next spring and get hold of Annie’s Annuals then. You can purchase one then. Once you have it in your garden it should come back again, but the time to plant dahlias is in spring. This garden oddity is an extraordinary plant  that begins growing in spring and blooms in fall, then dies to the ground. You cannot get one now because they are all in the middle of their growing season now. See this link to another reader’s question regarding this plant on my blog. (Hers had leaf miner.)

This year in March or April I purchased several tree dahlias as tiny 5-inch tall transplants in 4-inch containers from Annie’s Annuals and gave them to friends and family members who have regularly irrigated gardens. All are now about 4 to 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. They are all very healthy and none have leaf miner. I expect them to become as high as 15 or 20 feet tall by October or November when they should burst into bloom. This is a fun plant to grow and it’s a show stopper. I saw one of the plants yesterday since I was driving home from Paso Robles and dropped by the home of my granddaughter Rebecca Woolf in Hollywood. She stuck this plant into the ground in her front yard after I gave it to her in spring and I expect it will stop traffic when it blooms. So try again next year! As far as “going out of control fast”, probably not a problem. This plant just needs a 3 foot spot in a flower bed with open sky overhead. If there are tree branches, it might collide with them. You can feed it once in a while but basically an irrigated flower bed in full sun or part shade is all it needs. I first saw it growing in the garden of Agatha Youngblood in Rancho Santa Fe which is Zone 23. it loved it. It did not seem to need staking, but it was certainly eye-popping in bloom. It’s fun to plant and grow novelty items like this one.