Growing Stronger by Cutting Back
- Debra Flaming
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
07-19-2026 Blog
There is always something exciting happening in the dahlia field this time of year.
This week brought one of those milestone moments we look forward to every season.
Our first field bloom has officially arrived!
The honor goes to Totally Tangerine, whose cheerful apricot-orange blossoms were the first to greet us. Although only a handful of flowers have opened so far, flower buds are appearing across the field. It won't be long before row after row begins coming to life.
Ironically, just as our plants are beginning to bloom, we're preparing to cut nearly every one of them back.
It may seem backward, but it's actually one of the most important steps we take to produce healthy plants and beautiful flowers.
Over the next several days, we'll trim each dahlia back to approximately 12–18 inches tall. It can feel a little heartbreaking to remove those first buds and blooms, but we've learned from experience that this early pruning encourages the plant to branch, develop a much stronger central stem, and ultimately produce far more flowers throughout the season.
Last year we waited too long on some of our plants. They grew tall and beautiful early in the season, but many became lanky and top-heavy. Without strong branching, they produced fewer blooms than they were capable of and required more support as summer progressed.
We're determined not to repeat that mistake.
Once the plants have been cut back, we'll begin cultivating the field. This process loosens the soil, removes weeds that compete for water and nutrients, and allows us to pull fresh soil around the base of each plant. That extra support helps encourage healthy growth while creating a cleaner field for the remainder of the season.
Watering has also settled into a rhythm that seems to be working well.
Using overhead sprinklers, we've been watering deeply about every five days, encouraging the roots to grow deeper into the soil rather than remaining near the surface. So far, the plants have responded beautifully with vigorous growth and healthy foliage.
The dahlias growing in our garden have been just as busy.
Because many of those plants were started early in the greenhouse, they have grown much faster than the field plants. In fact, several had already begun blooming before we gave them the same haircut this past week.
Cutting off those first flowers is never easy. After months of planting, watering, and watching them grow, the temptation is to let every bloom stay. But we know what happens if we do.
Strong plants are built before beautiful bouquets are made.
By encouraging each plant to branch now, we're investing in a summer filled with stronger stems, healthier tubers, and many more blooms to enjoy later.
One challenge we weren't expecting has been the smoke drifting into the Treasure Valley from the wildfires burning in Oregon. The skies have turned hazy, and the air quality has noticeably declined over the past several days. Like many of you, we're praying those fires can be brought under control soon—for the safety of the firefighters and families affected, and for clearer skies across our region.
For now, the field continues to grow one day at a time.
Every row is a reminder that gardening often asks us to do things that seem counterintuitive. Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is cut something back, trusting that what follows will be stronger than what came before.
We're looking forward to sharing that journey with you as the season unfolds.
Happy growing,
Debra Flaming