What are the dahlias doing right now?

At the moment, the dahlias are in storage — tucked up in crates and layered in wood shavings, waiting for their return to the soil.

It might look like nothing is happening, but this stage is actually a really important part of the growing cycle.

Once the first frosts blackened the foliage back in autumn, the tubers were lifted from the ground, dried off, and carefully stored somewhere cool and frost-free. Here in the North West, leaving them in the ground just isn’t worth the risk — winter wet can be as damaging as frost. So lifting and storing gives them the best chance of coming back strong.

The wood shavings help regulate moisture levels. Too damp and they rot. Too dry and they shrivel. So over winter it’s a bit of quiet monitoring — checking for any signs of rot, removing anything suspect, and making sure the tubers stay firm and healthy.

Soon, they’ll come back out into the light. I’ll start checking for visible “eyes” (the little growing points on the crown), and from there they’ll either be potted up to wake up under cover or planted straight out once the soil warms.

It’s always slightly amazing to me that these knobbly, slightly alien-looking tubers are responsible for such bold, abundant plants. Every armful of summer stems starts here — in a crate, in the quiet.

For now, they’re resting.But it won’t be long before it’s serious cutting action again.