Dahlia Care Tips
Grow these beautiful flowers and have blooms throughout summer!
Dahlia tubers, either individual tubers or clumps, can be planted when your ground temps are around, or warmer than 60 degrees. You want to find a planting location that is in full sun with well-draining soil. Avoid planting in cold, wet soil as your tubers may rot before they can start growing.
Amend your soil adding compost or sand to ensure your planting site has enough nutrients to support a plant that blooms all summer. Plant tubers 4-6" deep, laying them horizontal in the planting hole. If you can see the eye, or new growth on the tuber, face them upwards. If you can't see the eye, that's okay, it will still grow! You'll want to give your tubers between 12-24" of space between plants.
Watering is the only thing that needs a little more care in the early stages. Unless your soil is bone dry, you don't need to do much watering while the tuber is underground and working on growing roots and sprouts. If your soil is slightly damp at planting time, that will be sufficient. Once you see growth above ground, you can begin a normal watering routine.
Dahlias benefit from staking and it's easiest to do your staking during planting (so you don't hit a tuber later). There are several methods for staking that work well: plant netting, corralling or individual stakes.
Have a little patience after planting, it can take your dahlias several weeks for any growth to be seen above, three to five weeks is a general estimate. Once you see growth, the dahlia plant will grow quickly and you'll be enjoying blooms soon!
Grown with Care, Shared with Kindness
I'm Lindsay, the hands, heart, and soil-covered boots behind Garden Hands Dahlias. Located in the beautiful rolling hills of Spring Valley, Wisconsin, our specialty dahlia farm is dedicated to growing high-quality, vibrant dahlia tubers and cuttings for gardeners, flower lovers, and growers across the country.
How We Got Our Hands Dirty
Garden Hands Dahlias was officially born in 2025, but the passion behind it has been blooming for years. What started as a deep love for the magic of watching a single tuber transform into a breathtaking bloom has grown and according to my family, gotten out of control.
Every single tuber and cutting we sell is hand-planted, hand-dug, hand-divided, and meticulously inspected by me (with some highly appreciated help from friends and family along the way!).
When you buy from Garden Hands, you are receiving stock that has been nurtured with individual attention and a deep respect for the land.
At Garden Hands Dahlias, we believe that flowers have a unique power to heal, connect, and bring joy. That is why our business operates on a dual mission. While we are committed to providing you with premium-quality planting stock to make your own garden thrive, we are equally committed to sowing seeds of joy right here in our community.
Through our Sharing Kindness program, a portion of our proceeds supports us spreading unexpected joy with free bouquets. Whether it's delivering fresh-cut dahlia arrangements to local nursing homes, thanking community volunteers, or surprising a neighbor who needs a smile, we use the beauty of our fields to make our community a little brighter.
Every tuber and cutting purchase you make directly supports this initiative, allowing us to keep growing, giving, and sharing.