Helpful hint: Dahlias

Dahlias are at their peak now. I can't stress it enough - you MUST deadhead them to help keep them blooming. Keeping them from going to seed is quintessential but even more importantly...

...deadheading the old blooms prevents un-opened flower buds from getting any fungal infections.

With all this rain, sometimes the old flowers close up and leave wilted petals incased in the flower's sepals. This is a perfect place for moulds, and fungal spores to develop.

The smaller varieties like this one, you just pinch back with your fingers. With the dinner plate varieties, I would use a set of pruners or scissors to cut them back.

You can always easily tell which are the old flower seed head. When you pinch them, they are soft.

Enjoy endless blooms, with a good water soluble feed every two weeks: compost tea, fish emulsion or 10:52:10.