Alauna Clair-Obscur Dahlia Plant

Alauna Clair-Obscur Dahlia captivates your garden with its striking 6-8 inch blooms, blending deep burgundy-purple centers that fade through violet to pure white, fringed tips in a spiky, cactus-like form. This unique variety blooms steadily from midsummer to frost, adding a dramatic, ethereal charm to borders, containers, and cut arrangements, framed by lush green foliage on sturdy stems.

And this stunner holds the stage all season. It unfurls those rich, gradient blooms with unwavering poise, needing only a sunny patch and a touch of tending to shine. Heat? It thrives in it like a summer night. Pests and deer? They see this vivid marvel and turn tail, no match for its allure.

Planting Instructions:

• - Plant tubers when soil reaches 60°F. Space them 4-6 inches deep with crown up and roots down

Soil Preparation:

• - Prefers well-drained, fertile soil

Watering Specifics:

• - Wait until green sprouts emerge from the soil before watering
• - Then water deeply 2-3 times per week, and daily if plants are in containers

Fertilizer Type:

• - Use fertilizers with a lower nitrogen count; half the amount of nitrogen relative to phosphorus and potassium (lower N on NPK ratio)
• - Fertilize every 2-3 weeks for containers and every 3-4 weeks for soil grown plants

Pruning and Training:

• - Pinch back the main shoot to encourage branching and more flowers
• - Deadhead spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering

Additional Pest Management:

• - Inspect regularly for pests like aphids, slugs, and snails

Temperature Tolerance:

• - Protect plants from early frosts with mulch or fleece covers to extend the flowering season

Overwintering:

• - After frost has turned the foliage brown, dig up tubers and store them over the winter
• - Clean tubers and let them dry for a few days in a frost-free location, then store in cool, dry place in slightly moist peat moss or sand