Most of the other sections of dahlias, the collerettes, tall growing singles, anemone flowered, small orchid flowered and so on, require very similar treatment to that recommended for the small decoratives, and will give most excellent results if so treated.

If disbudded the shoots lower down will be stimulated into growth earlier, and will very quickly replace the flowers which have been removed, as the strength of the plant has not been wasted in producing growth which is removed when cutting.

The miniature cactus and decorative varieties should be very lightly disbudded, rather more leniently than small decorative or cactus, as it is undesirable to grow these little beauties oversize.

The first crop of blooms are not disbudded at all; not even the side buds taken out. It is undesirable to cut these blooms, unless this is done above the first pair of leaves, so that no side shoots are removed.

For commercial cut flowers, where long stems are an asset, it is usual to take out the two side buds and the side shoots from the top two pairs of leaves, and this might well be borne in mind if flowers are grown for cut flowers for house decoration.

It must be quite clear that if all three buds on each stem are allowed to develop the resulting flowers will be forced out of shape by pressure against each other. Removal of the side buds will allow the blooms to develop naturally to their correct formation, the loss of numbers will have no apparent effect on the colour display, due to the more even spacing of the somewhat larger blooms; and every bloom will be seen as opposed to naturally grown plants in which some blooms become hidden by the fast developing side branches.

Once the dahlias start to grow strongly the question of staking and tying will become of increasing importance. The central stake, unsupported, is seldom sufficient, unless very stout, when the developing branches may be simply looped back to it by soft string. But the danger here is the tendency for the whole plant to swing in a circular fashion around the stake during high winds.

It follows that it is advisable to take plants struck at different times if a wide variation in blooming period is required, and to pinch the tops out at varying times. This will ensure, not so much that a bloom on a particular plant will be ready at a certain date, but that blooms will be available at that date, rather than a big flush of blooms all within a few days of each other, which might he at a period when there is not a suitable show.

In addition, though not completely essential, it is as well to dust a little flowers of sulphur or hydrated lime on the cuts to prevent any possibility of infection entering the open wound.

It is important to remember that the dahlia, although a very strong growing plant, is at its weakest during the first few weeks after planting, and that two things are essential during this period. The first is the removal of all competition from weeds. The ground should be kept scrupulously clear of weeds by using a dutch hoe at reasonably frequent intervals during the first few weeks after planting.

Later the use of a hoe will be inadvisable owing to the presence of feeder roots close to the surface. The second is the removal of all pests. The dahlia is peculiarly susceptible to attack at this time; earwigs and slugs in particular will completely ruin a plant in a matter of days if allowed complete freedom.

Slug bait should be used and the plant dusted or sprayed at intervals with Gamma B.H.C., or a similar insecticide. B.H.C. is recommended because this is also effective against aphides. There are a number of branded insecticides on the market containing this.

The pompon dahlias are perhaps the most awkward of all to pack, despite their small size, clue to their completely globular shape, and it is probably best to pack them, literally, in cotton wool.

This is rather expensive but well worth while, and after all the cotton wool can be used a number of times. Commence by covering the bottom of the box with a bed of cotton wool, on to which the blooms are laid, row after row, with the heads clear of each other and their stems.

The first row of blooms is laid in position in the box, with the necks resting on the rolls of paper, almost touching the end of the box, and lightly pressed against each other. Cactus blooms can usually be packed more tightly than decoratives due to the naturally incurving nature of the florets.

Another row is laid in at the other end of the box, passing the ends of the stems under the supporting roll at the opposite end. Lighter rolls are then laid on the stems of these blooms and more blooms laid in at each end threading the stems between those already in position. Carry on in this fashion until the box is full.

The angle at which the individual blooms are held should also coincide if this is possible. Ideally, each should he held at an angle of 45 as compared to the stem, but it is not always possible to select blooms with this ideal characteristic which are perfect in all other respects. I, however, with care, it is usually possible to arrange the blooms in such a fashion that all are held at the same apparent angle, despite differing in actuality.

Examine each bloom as you take it out of the box for damage, then remove the bottom inch of the stem under water to ensure that water is taken up quickly and easily. Incidentally if the blooms have been out of water for some hours they may be very limp, and may take a couple of hours or even more to regain turgidity, so remember this when starting your journey and allow ample time for recovery. If some blooms seem unable to take up water, try inserting the blade of a knife through a joint just below the top of the water, giving a gentle twist at the same time to open the gap. This will usually be effective, particularly if the gap is kept open by inserting a thin matchstick. Certain blooms tend to softness in the stem when dry -Edna D is a notorious example of this-and a light cane should be tied to the stem of such varieties when putting into water. This will keep the stem straight until the cells become stiff with water when it can be removed, just before leaving the hall after staging.

It is also an advantage to apply a deep mulch to the ground, if the material is available. A great many growers do not incorporate any manure in the ground at digging, preferring to reserve all.

Cow manure is excellent. It is probably best to mix a certain amount of straw with this as it is rather heavy and cold, and might on these accounts be slightly deleterious on a heavy clay soil in a wet, cold summer if applied unmixed. Compost is also good, preferably reasonably well broken down before application.

Chicken and rabbit manure, although rather dangerous stuff to use because of its comparatively high ammonia content, if well mixed with straw and composted down for a time makes an excellent mulch, but in this case it is probably best to apply an additional layer of straw on top of the manure as it is seldom possible to obtain sufficient to make a really deep mulch.

Whatever animal manure is used it should be at least partially decomposed, that is it should be stacked for a short while before using, if possible, to take away the fierceness. Many growers do use manure straight from the stable and yard as a mulch and get good results, but it cannot be recommended as a safe or ideal practice. Failing any of the above, spent hops, bracken, shoddy, bark fibre, sewerage sludge, in fact almost any organic material, may be used.

Straw makes an extremely good substitute. It is cheap, clean and very springy, and it is most effective in preventing the ground compacting under pressure. It is an excellent practice to put an additional layer of loose straw along the pathways for this one reason.

The time of application will vary with both the season and the type of soil. The first noticeable effect of mulching is a considerable drop in the surface temperature of the soil, so that it is obviously not a good plan to mulch too early on heavy soils which are slow in warming up, or in a cold damp season.

Potassium is best applied in the form of sulphate of potash and phosphorus in the form of superphosphates of lime or as bone meal. Nitrogen can be given in a number of forms, some quick acting, e.g. sulphate of ammonia, some slow acting, e.g. hoof and horn meal.

If only slightly acid, lime is not required, but if the reading is well below neutral then lime by all means. Usually a dressing of not more than 4 to 6 ounces to the square yard of hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) or a little more if calcium carbonate (ground chalk) is used, will be sufficient to bring the pH up from say pH 5.5 to a level of pH 6 to 6.5, but up to three times this quantity may be required if the pH level is much lower.

Usually even if a reasonably well balanced fertiliser is used, it will be found with dahlias that there is not sufficient potash for their requirements, so that it is as well to give an additional dressing of sulphate of potash at the rate of 2 ounces to the square yard, at least twice during the growing season, say in late June and early August, particularly if the plants are lush and soft, and the blooms tend to scorch or wilt in the sun.

With regard to feeding generally, it is usually done for one of two reasons, either because the soil is naturally rather poor, and thus generally deficient in plant foods, or to give exceptional results when growing for exhibition. The requirements in both cases are almost identical, that is a compound or complete fertiliser which will supply both the main plant foods and the minor elements in a balanced form suitable for dahlias.

The majority of complete fertilisers manufactured by the well known horticultural suppliers are usually quite satisfactory, especially those recommended for growing flowers.

If it is present, if anywhere, on excessively alkaline soils; in the main it causes the tubers to be particularly prone to rot, and, if suspected, it should be corrected by watering with a weak solution of boric acid. One ounce of the powder to two gallons of water will be sufficient for say fifteen to sixteen plants, but be careful not to overdo the dosage as boron in excess will kill even dahlias. It is extremely unlikely that any other of the minor elements will not be present, either already in the soil or supplied by the materials dug into the ground, in sufficient quantity for the dahlia’s requirements.

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Without any doubt the dahlia plant has a lot to offer to the grower who wishes to brighten the house with flowers, the smaller types being particularly useful. The wide colour range, probably greater than that of any other flower, and the variations in form and shape lend themselves most effectively to intriguing arrangements.

It is better to choose varieties especially for the purpose than to rely upon the general range of garden dahlias, particularly if space is limited. For one thing it is preferable to have varieties with long, thin and strong stems as these are easier to arrange in any form of container.

It is also an advantage to select varieties in a particular colour range rather than to make a random selection of colours which may or may not blend effectively. And, most important, the flowers should be comparatively long lasting in water.

Usually the check is caused by chilly winds, or a cold ground condition shortly after planting out. Unfortunately at such times the normal chemical reaction in the soil, the breakdown of insoluble to soluble compounds, seems to be at low ebb so that there is little plant food available for the dahlias.

Iron and manganese deficiencies cannot be easily settled by this method as iron and manganese sequestrenes, the quickest acting form in which to apply these chemicals, are liable to cause scorch. However if applied to the roots they react as quickly as if applied to the leaves, and it will be soon apparent whether or not this was the cause of bad colour or leaf chlorosis.

At the other end of the season, remembering that normal feeding should cease by the end of August, it is as well to give a final top dressing after this date, say in the first week in September. For this top dressing superphosphate and sulphate of potash, in equal proportions by weight, should be used to assist in making available to the plant, at a period when its energies are being switched over to the manufacture of storage elements in the tuber, those elements which are most useful for this purpose. This is a most valuable practice, particularly if the plants have been heavily fed for exhibition work, as it will sometimes completely correct the tendency to keeping tubers that is inherent in plants overfed in this fashion.

If in any doubt move the vases round experimentally with the flower arrangement until the most pleasing result is obtained; a few minutes spent in this fashion may well make the difference between a first and a second prize.

If paper is used, this should be well dampened before pushing into position as it may otherwise compress under the weight of the blooms when it becomes saturated, with disastrous results. When staging the smaller blooms, such as pompons, etc., it is usually best to insert the packing material first of all, and to push the stems through this material into the water.

The really good exhibitor is almost invariably an excellent judge because the ability to recognise good points in one’s own blooms is the essence of showmanship.

If some blooms, which are otherwise perfect, have a few damaged florets, then it is good showmanship to remove these. They should be pulled out carefully and cleanly, making sure that the whole floret is removed. Provided only a few are removed their absence is unlikely to be noticed, except perhaps at the hack of the bloom, where the green bracts will remain as mute evidence of the action taken. This practice must not be overdone as judges are usually hard on exhibits which contain well “plucked” blooms.

Finally make sure that every vase is filled to the brim with water (exhibitors have been known to forget this, with disastrous effects on high hopes), and retire gracefully from the scene to let the stewards and judge proceed with their respective tasks.

When staging the classes which call for several vases, try to match the blooms in the separate vases for size and formation as nearly as possible. Pay very careful attention to colour combinations also, particularly when staging in a class for a certain number of varieties. Never stage two vases of similar colour but of different shades by each other if this can be avoided, as the more vivid coloured vase will tend to detract from the more delicate shade in the other. In the same way certain colours have a disastrous effect on each other, flame and pink are examples, and ugly combinations of this nature should be avoided if possible. White varieties are very useful as they can be used to split colours which would tend to clash.

Not all varieties give entirely satisfactory blooms from side buds; some will produce blooms very much under size and somewhat lacking in petals, even, in a few instances, showing a tendency to an open or “daisy-eyed” centre.

Strong growing varieties disbud down for only two pairs of leaves, and weak varieties strip the side shoots from the top four pairs of leaves. Again the amount of growth carried after disbudding will be too much for first class blooms on the subsequent crops, unless thinned out after the first blooms have been cut. As each bloom is cut remove some of the surplus side branches from the main branch, finally leaving say two strong shoots on each branch from which the flower has been cut.

The very young shoots developing below these side branches may also be left as these will develop comparatively slowly and will give a third flush of bloom in fairly quick succession to the second crops.misshapen, although on some varieties, mostly the older ones, it is occasionally advisable to use a side bud to give a slightly longer footstalk. Weak growing or smaller bloomed varieties may require more severe disbudding whilst the stronger growing kinds will require less.

Not all the replacement side shoots developing from the main branches will be required. It is best to reduce these eventually to one only. But this additional thinning must not be done until after the bloom has been cut, otherwise this may be coarse. Again only a few shoots should be removed at a time to avoid too drastic a carefully the successional blooms should be almost equal in quality to the first crop.

The replacement branches allowed to develop will require exactly the same treatment as the main branches, except that disbudding should be a little more severe, as there is a tendency with most varieties for the second and subsequent crops to be rather smaller and lighter in petal texture and numbers.

A few varieties however, Tornado is an example, produce oversize blooms on the first flush unless disbudding is very light. In such cases it is best to remove the side shoots from no more than two pairs of leaves from the flowering bud and also to allow rather more side branches to develop to provide the second flush of flower. The secondary branches require normal disbudding and should then give blooms of the requisite size and quality. The small decorative and cactus varieties require comparatively little attention on the first flush. As a general rule it is sufficient

Milk crates or similar containers are used with bottles stood in the divisions at each of the four corners. The stems of the dahlias are other containers.

Briefly, the blooms are cut in the normal way but before plunging into deep, water for a few seconds until a series of bubbles are seen to leave the base of the stem. The immersion time will vary a little in accordance with the size of the stem but should never exceed 30 seconds.

Only the bottom inch of the stem should he removed this time and this should be done under water whilst putting the blooms into the larger containers. This practice is of particular value when dealing with the larger flowered varieties and varieties which are notoriously difficult to persuade to take up water.

Once the bloom is removed from the water the cells will collapse and literally seal the end of the stem. Of course the damaged area must be cut away before the blooms are vased up.

There are a number of methods of carrying the blooms to the show. Dealing with blooms taken to the show in water first, because this is the best of all, there are two main methods. The first is delightfully simple, provided the show is not very far away, and a car or lorry or even a handcart is available together with a careful and co-operative driver. The blooms are just carried in the buckets in which they have been standing after cutting. They should be very carefully arranged, fairly tightly packed together to avoid movement, but at the same time not so badly congested that the florets are crushed and damaged.

For these larger varieties additional height must be provided. This is not difficult to contrive if stiff cardboard or plywood inserts of the requisite height (about 9 to 10 in.) are wired into position at each corner and at the centre of each of the two long sides of the box. The lid will rest on these without touching the blooms.