A smiling child stands with huge, bright yellow Kelvin Floodlight Dinner Plate Dahlia blooms

Success Story: A Dedicated Dahlia Garden

At American Meadows, we're all enthusiastic gardeners. Erin is a long-time employee of American Meadows and a certified Master Gardener. She truly has a green thumb, and her property in Vermont is brimming with blooms grown from seeds, plants, and bulbs.

One summer, Erin and her family decided to plant a dedicated Dahlia garden in their yard! The large flower bed would help camouflage some utility pipes in their yard - and the results are simply spectacular! Read on to see the before and after photos of her process, and blooms that are sure to make you smile.

Preparing For Planting

In the late spring, Erin dug up all of the existing grass for the area that would become her new garden bed. She added compost to the soil for extra nutrients. Dahlias require well-prepared soil for optimal growth!

A woman has her hands in the soil of a large garden bed. — Preparing the soil is an important step for success when planting Dahlias.

Dahlia tubers are spaced evenly in loose, compost-enriched soil and ready to be covered.

Digging In

They planted 50 Dahlias, including favorite varieties like white 'Snow Country' Dinner Plate Dahlias, clear yellow 'Kelvin Floodlight' Dinner Plate Dahlias, eye-catching 'Prince of Orange' Decorative Dahlias, and more.

White, pink, and orange Dahlias create a warm and playful color palette that's perfect for summer!

'Prince of Orange' Decorative Dahlias, yellow 'Kelvin Floodlight' Dahlias, and white 'Snow Country' Dahlias

Blooms To Bring A Smile

Their preparation paid off, and all of the Dahlia tubers came up! Erin's daughter loved heading out to the Dahlia patch every day to see the new blooms.

They decided they were so pleased with the results of their Dahlia garden that they wanted to grow the same thing next year. Living in Vermont in zone 4, that meant digging up the tubers after fall, storing them over winter, and re-planting in spring. This dedicated Dahlia garden was definitely a success!