Growing Dahlias in Pots

Choose the right variety

Compact and border dahlias are made for containers. From our field, Bambino, Bonne Esperance and Kelsey Dwarf stay around a foot tall. Taller varieties can work too, but they need a big pot and a sturdy stake.

Choose the right pot

• Size: at least 12 inches across for border types, and 16 inches or more (roughly 5 gallons and up) for taller varieties.
• Drainage holes are essential. Wet roots are what rot tubers.
• Use a good-quality potting mix, not garden soil.

Planting

1. Plant after your last frost, or start the pot indoors in a sunny spot a few weeks early.
2. Lay the tuber on its side about 4 inches deep, eye up.
3. Water lightly once, then wait until you see shoots before watering regularly.
4. Put a stake in at planting time for anything over 2 feet tall.

Care through the summer

• Sun: 6–8 hours a day.
• Water: pots dry out fast. Check daily in hot weather, and water when the top inch is dry.
• Feed every couple of weeks with a fertilizer that's lower in nitrogen, which encourages flowers over leaves.
• Cut flowers often and snip off spent blooms to keep new ones coming.

In the fall

After frost, cut the stalk down. You can bring the whole pot into a cool, dark spot that stays above freezing, or tip it out and store the tuber like any other. Our dig & store guide walks through it.

A pot of dahlias by the door is the best welcome home.