10 Dahlia Companion Plants To Grow With Dahilas 

Are you having trouble deciding what to plant with your dahlias this season? There are several dahila plant selections based on your garden aims. Certified master gardener Liz Jaros discusses her favorite dahlia companion plants.  

1. Nasturtium

This fast-growing favorite has excellent leaves and orange, red, white, or yellow flowers. Nasturtium attract aphids, a major dahlia pest, hence they are grown nearby as traps. They attract butterflies and bees, which is helpful.  

2. Anise

Anise need full sun and wind shelter to avoid breaking, therefore they pair well with dahlias. A win-win smell that repels aphids and attracts predatory wasps. Stems of umbrella-shaped florets with delicate white or yellow blossoms appear.  

3. Cilantro

Cilantro prefers 6 hours of morning light over intense afternoon sun and granular, non-clay soil, making it a good dahlia buddy. Coriander thrives under dahlias due to its aphid-repellent smell and delicate leaves.   

4. Artemisia

This perennial's silvery leaves won't compete with dahlias' massive blooms. Artemisia is a popular companion plant since it behaves oppositely. While dahlias bloom, its soft, cloud-like appearance can be relaxing. Having a natural slug repellant is usually beneficial.  

5. Snapdragon

Snapdragon's petite, throated flowers of white, yellow, pink, red, orange, peach, purple, and violet are appreciated in dahlia gardens for their early bloom time. Snapdragons provide color during midsummer, when dahlias are just starting up.  

6. Geranium

Geraniums' full, stiff flower heads and dark foliage give them country charm and make them ideal dahlia companions. Geranium, which grows in full light, will fill in well behind erect, single dahlia cultivars.  

7. Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssum creates a season-long carpet of delicate white blossoms. Alyssum fills and spills pots by mounding and cascading. Small and fluffy, it contrasts well with dahlias' forceful presence in any garden.  

8. Cosmos

Cosmos, with its spiky leaves and 4-inch blooms from midsummer to fall, make good dahlia underplants. Cosmos comes in different colors and sizes and can be pinched to stay bushy or permitted to grow in the central garden.   

9. Coastal Lavender

An early-season rosette of leathery leaves will cover the ground beneath your dahlias, filling up the barren space. Coastal lavender will send up sprays of purple, pink, or white blooms to support your dahlias in midsummer.  

10. Daylily

Growing daylilies is easy and they bloom in fall in many colors. Each blossom lasts 24-36 hours, but these old favorites are so prolific you won't notice.Their long, strappy leaves contrast with dahlias' darker, traditional appearance in a mixed border.  

Floral Separator

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