tree dahlia and cyclamen

When I bought the tree dahlia tuber from the Kew garden club almost a year ago I had no idea of the colour and I did not really care.  The mauve tree dahlia cutting from my previous garden had managed to die in the process of moving.  I love the tree dahlia for its gigantic stature.  In autumn and late winter I see the clusters of flowers way above the fence.  It did not take long for the tuber to send up gangly stems well above the fence top.  The flowers are a pleasant surprise as they turn out to be double flowered in pristine white.  The look magnificent against the blue sky. The main problem with the tree dahlia is the easily breakable stem.  After the storm last week I found three stems down.  The flowers are beautiful in a vase but I do prefer them out there, swaying in the breeze.  When the flowers have dies down I shall prune the tree and I will be taking cuttings.  While the stems may strike quite easily, the biggest problem is keeping the shoots safe from snails.  When the shoots have achieved a safe height, the dahlia will send out five or six stems to form a clump.  It is advisable to tie the stems to a stake to avoid losing them in a storm.  In the early stages of growth it is important not to let the plant dry out.  Dividing the tubers may be a safer way of propagating.

Down at ground level and in various pots I have a collection of cyclamens.  Over the years I have been given pots of cyclamens which have managed to multiply.  I have the pots in the garden and each year the corms would send out new leaves and flowers.  In some pots I sometime find tiny baby cyclamens that have grown from seeds.  These I transfer to other pots.  To avoid having too many pots of cylamens I have planted a few of them in one big pot, ensuring a longer lasting flowering season as the different plants take turns showing off their blooms.