This past summer I decided that I love dahlias. I have always found them to be a beautiful plant but quite frankly I associated them with guilt, due to my shortcomings.

My father-in law loved flowers, especially dahlias. Each spring he would send me home with dahlia roots to plant.

After promising to dig them up in the fall and store the tubers, I would plant them in my own garden. I really did enjoy the blooms, from early summer to late fall.

I did have good intentions about digging up my dahlia tubers in the fall, but because of the responsibility of caring for my family and my house, the tubers would lie hopelessly under the snow never to grow again.

My children grew up very quickly, graduated from college and moved away to start their own lives. I now had more time on my hands. Not only did I plant, water and feed my dahlias last season, but I dug them up in the fall and stored them in my garage.

My father-in law would be pleased that my dahlia tubers were warm and snug. I look forward to planting them again each spring and sharing my dahlias with my friends and family, but only after they promise to dig them up in the fall.

Dahlia varieties are divided into main groups according to the shape and formation of the flower.

The largest group is the decorative dahlias followed by the cactus dahlias and the single-flowered group (bedding dahlias). Within these groups there are several classifications which are administered by The American Dahlia Society. The height of dahlias ranges from 6 inches to over 4 feet.

Dahlias are available with small daisy-type blooms and with large ruffled flowers which can be red, pink, orange, yellow, purple or white. They are also available in mixed colors.

Dahlias should be dug up in the fall after the first frost. Store them in a frost free, dry area.

Divide the tuber clumps into two to four sections before replanting in spring.

The tubers can be planted in spring a week after the last frost date. Each root must have part of a stem.

Dig a 12-inch deep hole; mix the soil that you removed with a handful of bone meal and a little Dolomite lime. Fill the hole with six inches of this soil mixture. Place the tuber in the hole with the eye up so that the top of the root will be about three inches below the soil surface.

Cover the tuber with two inches of the soil mix and water well. Add more soil as needed as the plant grows. If you are growing the tall border type, place a garden stake at planting time to avoid damaging the roots later.

Dahlias need well drained soil and full sun and prefer a soil PH of 6.2-6.5. They are heavy feeders and should be fed a bloom type fertilizer a month before the plant begins to bloom.

Deadheading will keep your plants blooming from early summer and into fall.

Diane Walczak is a member of the Butler County Master Gardeners.