Dahlia 'Burlesca'

Young plants may be at risk from slugs and snails - keep the area around the plant debris free and as dry as possible, especially at night as slugs and snails love damp conditions. You can use barriers such as crushed egg shells, grit or copper wire to surround the plant - these will prevent slugs and snails from reaching the leaves. To prevent powdery mildews, you should space apart the plants adequately to prevent overcrowding and tight, humid conditions. Water at the base into the soil, not on the leaves, and try to prevent the water splashing off the soil and onto the leaves.

This plant needs nothing more than rain water throughout most of the year. During hot, prolonged dry periods in summer however, you may have to give the plant a good watering several times a week. If the plant starts to look distressed and the soil around it is very dry, then give the plant some more water and check up on it the next day.

This plant prefers a sunny spot with 6-8 hours of sunlight daily

Plant in any moist, well-drained soil. If your soil is particularly poor or clay heavy, add some garden compost with perlite to improve drainage.

Apply a granular general-purpose fertiliser at planting time.To encourage better flowering, use a potassium-rich liquid fertiliser, such as tomato feed, every two weeks from July to September. ?v=1613300718