Dhalias and sunflowers

Our dahlias are grown from tubers that have been stored over winter at home. In spring, we bring them out of storage and pot them up in fresh compost mixed with a little grit to improve drainage. Once the tubers have sprouted, we give them a good feed to encourage strong, healthy growth.

Whenever the weather is warm and sunny, we put the pots outside to enjoy the sunshine, but if there's a risk of frost or the temperatures drop too low, we bring them back indoors to protect the young plants.

In late spring, we transplanted the dahlias into the allotment. We were a little eager and planted them out slightly too early, so a late frost damaged some of the leaves. Fortunately, they recovered well and are now blooming magnificently.

To add even more colour, we planted cosmos amongst the dahlias and sunflowers at the end of the bed. Every sunflower in the allotment has been grown from seeds we collected from our home-grown sunflowers the previous autumn.

Both the dahlias and the sunflowers are wonderful for attracting bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, helping to support local wildlife. We also cut the dahlias regularly to bring home for flower arranging, and frequent deadheading encourages the plants to produce even more beautiful blooms throughout the season.

Once the sunflower heads have matured and the seeds have fully developed, we'll harvest them ready for sowing next year. We always leave some seeds behind for the birds too, providing them with a welcome source of food as the seasons change.