I have had better luck with the smaller blooms rather than the giant dinner plate size for not having to stake. Some also have much stronger stems than others. Dahlias are iffy for me and I am currently down to just one, fortunately it is a strong one. I plan to get some new tubers this spring from a local dahlia farmer, and instead of being driven by the beautiful bloom photos, will question their growth habit more thoroughly. I've also had some luck interplanting Sweet Annie with dahlias to lend some additional support (and feathery contrast).

There are many shorter dahlias but I tend to stake them anyhow. Strong winds can destroy lovely dahlias.

I just grow my dahlias along my fence lines. I tie to the fence as they get tall

How ideal!

I was just lucky enough to buy a house with a fenced in area (nice decorative fence) that has beds on both sides for the most part. Granted, the previous owners did not grow much in the beds. I quickly remedied that!




I've been fighting the urge to widen the beds inside the fence!

Jennifer, don't fight the feeling! I figure if I expand one foot per year I will have the whole yard swallowed up by 2025!! You just gotta set goals that's all.

And if your husband is anything like mine (NO more garden beds!), he will likely not notice if those edges get a bit wider each year. That's why I like the trenching method of edging the best.

virginiarose said:Jennifer, don't fight the feeling! I figure if I expand one foot per year I will have the whole yard swallowed up by 2025!! You just gotta set goals that's all.

My husband has given me permission to widen the beds on the OUTSIDE. But I kinda like those the way they are. I really wish I had a ton of money and then I would have the darn pool removed and make that whole area inside the fence a lovely cottage garden.

Bonehead said:And if your husband is anything like mine (NO more garden beds!), he will likely not notice if those edges get a bit wider each year. That's why I like the trenching method of edging the best.

Well, unfortunately they do have nice metal edging. So it would not be an easy sneak widening! But we do have plenty of other yard and so far he has conceded me a new bed every year.

That's a gorgeous fence, Jennifer, and a beautiful, well maintained garden. I love curves and yours are so smooth!

My friend did have her pool filled in and created such a lovely garden. The pool was just right of the gazebo.

pirl said:That's a gorgeous fence, Jennifer, and a beautiful, well maintained garden. I love curves and yours are so smooth!

My friend did have her pool filled in and created such a lovely garden. The pool was just right of the gazebo.

Thanks Arlene! I'm developing some serious large curves on my body this time of year too

@pirl, wow...your friend has a nice garden!

@jvdubb, If it were me, I would add large flower pots inside the fence. It would give you more planting space and they are decorative. Very pretty around a pool too, untill somebody runs into one!
Just make sure you have bright colors. Yeah! That's the ticket!

'Tis the season to do just that!

She did have a nice garden. She sold the home a year ago and moved to Grand Rapids, MI, to be close to two of her three daughters.

It must have been hard to leave all that behind. I wonder how much did she dig up? Jeepers I would have to learn to garden all over again if I moved to Grand Rapids. Well maybe not, I do love dormants and my hostas would love it there.

jvdubb said:I just grow my dahlias along my fence lines. I tie to the fence as they get tall

Yep, that works!!

Susan - she only took two Japanese maples with her. We had dug up so many plants but she couldn't see herself planting in the snow so she left them behind. The big kicker was, the people who bought the house do not garden at all and they want a pool even though it's just a summer weekend home.

I sent her a big chunk of Sum and Substance, her favorite hosta here in Southold. She had to pot it up because there, just like here, they have deer! I doubt she'll want to fight the deer problem again.

Wow, how ironic. I would not want to fight with the deer either. Too much work!

Her nearest daughter is two blocks away and has never had deer damage and hasn't seen a deer in her area. The deer used to bed down on her grass in Southold.

Is something attracting them? They seem a little too com-fie. LOL.

I had to crop this photo of her next door neighbor's property and hope you can see the cement deer just about at the center of the photo. It made the local paper when a male, at the height of rut, attacked the poor cement deer and smashed it to pieces!

Other than that, I guess her hosta, daylilies, lilies, phlox, etc. are just to their liking.