Good Earth: Cactus Dahlia Tubers

If you want to evoke the spirit of the competitive dahlia growers of past times, you'll grow no better than Good Earth. A medium cactus variety with large spiky flowers, up to 15cm across, in a mixture of vibrant pink shades. The centres are a deep fuchsia pink and the petals become paler, almost white, as they reach the tips. There's a hint of yellow at the centres of flowers that have just opened, providing a lovely contrast to their deep pink.

The fully double blooms have pointed petals with a slight incurve towards the centres. This shape is typical of cactus-flowered dahlias, which are among the most dramatic of all British garden flowers. Browse our other Cactus Dahlias or our full range of Dahlias here.

It makes an excellent cut flower and looks stunning in a vase with its retro good looks, but we would not recommend it for growing in containers.

Features

Colour: Shades of pink with white tips
Foliage: Dark green divided leaves
Flower Size: Up to 15cm
Type: Cactus Dahlia
Cutting: Yes
Height/Spread: 1m x 50cm
Flowering: July to November
Outdoor Planting Months: March to July

Growing Good Earth Dahlias

All dahlias do best in deep rich soil with good drainage in a sunny spot. If it is windy they will need staking. They are greedy, thirsty plants so will need watering in dry spells, and they will always flower that little bit better if there is a bit of soluble food in the watering can once every couple of weeks.

It is generally more convenient to put support stakes in at planting time, rather than leaving it until there is foliage in the way.

Planting Companions for Good Earth

Use it in the middle or towards the back of mixed borders where it works as well in pastel coloured planting schemes as in ones designed to catch the eye a little more.

Did You Know?

Introduced in 1952, this Dutch variety was one of the go-to dahlias for the traditional exhibition growers of decades past, and is still sometimes grown today for exhibition in the cactus class at autumn flower shows.

There is not really an official definition of an heirloom variety plant, but a common rule of thumb is "older than 1951", making this one of the very first non-heirloom dahlias.

If you ignore seed, Dahlias can be planted at three stages: as tubers, rooted cuttings and pot-grown plants.

Tubers can be planted at any time from March onwards. The hole should be at least double the diameter of the tuber laid out on the ground. Incorporate about 25% well rotted compost and if drainage is in any way doubtful then add plenty of horticultural grit as well. Plant one tuber per hole, leaving 60-80 cms between plants (depending on final size) and make sure the tuber is covered with 10-12 cms (4-5") of soil. This is important as it will insulate the tuber against frosts in March-May as they will take a couple of months to show.

Rooted cuttings, which are available from early April onwards, will need to be potted up and kept in a sunny and frost free place until they are ready to be planted out in mid May. Their treatment then is the same as for tubers except they are planted level with rather than 10 cms below the surrounding soil level.

Pot grown plants are not delivered until June, and are then planted out immediately in the same way as an established rooted cutting.

The more you deadhead, the more flowers you'll get.

Read our full terms and conditions here.

Delivery: Our standard delivery charges are:

Small box (orders containing only seedlings or rooted cuttings) = £7.20 (inc VAT) per order. Free delivery for orders over £60 (inc VAT)
Standard box (bareroot plants up to 1.2metres) = £11.40 (inc VAT) per order. Free delivery for orders over £60 (inc VAT)
Large box (pots up to and including 7.5 litres) = £15.00 (inc VAT) per order. Free delivery for orders over £100 (inc VAT)
Trees & hedging (bareroot plants and trees over 1.2 metres in height) = £19.80 (inc VAT) per order.
Orders delivered to Scotland and the Isle of Wight may incur a surcharge (calculated during checkout). This is applicable to ALL orders to these locations.
Pallets (for all orders of root balls, and large orders, a pallet price will be automatically applied at checkout) = £75.00 (inc VAT) per order.
If, for reasons of seasonality an order needs to be split, then we will charge for each delivery. If the whole order was eligible for free P&P then the second of the split orders will be delivered free of charge.

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week in summer if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Shade	Full Sun
Soil	Good, Well Drained
Colour	Pink (Medium)
Type	Tuber
Ornamental	Repeat Flowering, Vase Life
Flowering	Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

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SIZES	1-2	3+
Tuber	Out of Stock - Ordering Now £3.84	Out of Stock - Ordering Now£3.19
	Prices include VAT(where applicable)

Good Earth Dahlia Tubers

Dahlia Good Earth (Cactus)

MAIDEN BAREROOT

BUSH BAREROOT