About
Dahlia 'Miss McGee' is a cultivar of Dahlia in the Asteraceae family, with tuberous, herbaceous growth and a strong flowering period from July to October. It does not tolerate frost and needs winter protection in colder UK areas. Growers should plan for overwintering the tubers or providing frost-free shelter. Regular tying or short stakes can help as stems develop.
About the genus
Dahlias come from the high meadows of Mexico, and somewhere in that heritage is the explanation for how they behave here: tender to frost, hungry, generous beyond all reason. No other plant gives you quite so much for so little. One tuber, planted after the last frost, becomes a shrub's worth of flowers by August — and the more you cut, the more they come.The range is faintly ridiculous. Tight pompoms, spiky cactus types, singles the bees adore, dinner-plates the size of your face. Whatever your garden's mood, there is a dahlia that agrees with it, which is probably why every generation falls out of love with them and then, a decade later, falls straight back in.They're at their best when much of the garden is winding down — late summer into autumn, flowering hard until the first frost calls time. I think of them as the encore. And they always play it.
Written by Henry
In the garden
Dahlia 'Miss McGee' belongs to the genus Dahlia within the Asteraceae and, like other dahlias, produces its main display in the warmer months; flowering runs from July to October. The plants arise from tubers and are herbaceous perennials, so they die back at the end of the season and require protection from freezing temperatures if kept through the winter. Choose a sunny, sheltered position with free-draining soil for best results, and avoid waterlogged sites. Give consistent moisture while the plant is actively growing and flowering, and apply a balanced feed during the season to support repeat blooms. Many dahlias benefit from short stakes or ties to keep stems upright as flowers open; check ties periodically to avoid girdling. In a UK garden 'Miss McGee' suits mixed herbaceous borders and larger containers where tuberous perennials are managed. Because it is not frost tolerant, either place containers in a frost-free spot for winter or lift and dry the tubers once foliage has died back. Label stored tubers carefully so you can replant the same cultivar the following spring and retain the identity of Dahlia 'Miss McGee'.
More in the Dahlia genus
- Dahlia 'Clearview Cameron' (C)
- Dahlia 'Croydon Jumbo' (D)Dahlia
- Dahlia 'Elizabeth Snowden' (Col)
- Dahlia 'Katie's Velvet' (Col)Dahlia
- Dahlia 'LB Michael Braithwaite' (D)
- Dahlia 'Amazing Grace' (Misc)
- Dahlia 'Aurora's Kiss' (Ba)
- Dahlia 'Black Diamond' (Ba)