dahlia [Happy Single Juliet]

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil, enriched with organic matter, in full sun; lift and store tubers in autumn to replant or use as a source of cuttings in spring; poor flowering may be caused by overfeeding with high nitrogen fertilisers, not enough direct sunshine or not enough moisture at the roots; for more advice, see dahlia cultivation

Deadhead to prolong flowering; cut back to near ground level in the autumn, before lifting and storing for the winter

Propagate by softwood cuttings taken in spring from shoots from stored tubers, or divide the tubers, ensuring that each division has a viable bud

May be affected by aphids, capsid bug, earwigs, caterpillars, slugs and glasshouse red spider mite

May be affected by powdery mildews, dahlia mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus, tomato spotted wilt virus, storage rots, and leafy gall