Dahlia, Pollinator & Perennial Garden
Located at spot one on the map, this garden is in its full glory in late summer and early fall. Boasting over 500 plants with hundreds of dahlia varieties in all forms and colors, it is the work of a very talented group of gardeners under the direction of Kim Biggerstaff. This garden was established by the late Brian Killingsworth.
The Dahlia Team spends hundreds of hours each year, dividing dahlias, making cuttings, planning and planting the field. These dahlias need at least a half-day of full sunlight and one inch of water per week. These beds are watered and fertilized with drip irrigation. Mulching around the root area with one to three inches of organic material will keep the soil cool during hot days and help with moisture. Keep mulch away from the stalks.
As the plants grow, remove the bottom three to five sets of the lowest leaves to allow for better air circulation. If possible, create a raised bed so the dahlias avoid wet feet and rot. Most dahlias grow three feet or taller and will need to be aided by a support system, like tomato cages or stakes. Plant them in warm soil, despite the temptation to plant earlier. The soil should be at least seventy degrees.
Fertilizer can be worked into the soil. An evenly balanced fertilizer such as a ten, ten, ten, or similar combinations. Once planted, they grow quickly to reach a height of three to six feet. It isn’t necessary to add fertilizer to the hole when planting, since the tuber is a supply of food.
Don’t water your dahlias until sprouts appear. Continue to feed them weekly with one half-strength liquid fertilizer. Based on your soil tests, some lime is helpful. By mid-August, most dahlias will set their buds and will open within twenty-four to thirty days. Once buds appear, reduce any application of nitrogen so it doesn’t prolong green growth. At this stage, combinations of zero, ten, ten are beneficial.
The tops of the dahlias will die with the first heavy frost. The tubers will not be affected. Once finished, cut the stalks off, leaving about four to six inches for handling purposes. Let the plants stay in the ground for a week or two to allow more eyes to form on the tubers. Water if there isn’t rain.
Dig the clumps of tubers and store them upside down to drain any water in a cool dark location. You can split the clumps into halves or fourths to help them dry. A dark surrounding helps tubers store. A low temperature above freezing will work. In warmer climates, these can be left in the ground for several years if mulched to about six-inch depth.
These dahlias are sold at our spring and fall plant sale. We hope you enjoy the garden as much as we do.
The Dahlia Garden sparks great joy in the many visitors who regularly make the pilgrimage each summer and fall to Bullington, bringing attention to the garden. It is a beautiful spot to celebrate with wine and food. In large part as a tribute now to the late Brian Killingsworth, the dahlia garden will continue and be led by his well-trained dahlia team, with whom he passed on his passion. And it will continue to spark joy.
The Pollinator Garden located at spot number 2 and under the direction of Connie Smith is more aptly called a pollinator-friendly landscape. While many pollinator gardens focus on summer-blooming full-sun flowers and shrubs, ours is planted for year-round decorative value and the longest bloom season we can devise. It includes many native trees and shrubs, as well as both native and non-native nectar-producing perennials and annuals.
While pollinators, including bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, are most visible in warm weather when they visit flowers, they are present all winter in our gardens as either eggs or larvae. Oak trees, in particular, host hundreds of varieties of insects. Best practices for pollinator protection include avoiding pesticides and herbicides, providing water, and leaving the garden a little ‘messy’ in winter. Insects lay eggs inside dry stems, or in dead logs, under leaves and even in the ground. A pristine winter garden can have a negative effect on the insect population.
Look for our pink summer-blooming hydrangeas and our red-blooming butterfly bushes.
Our early spring bloomers include hellebores, a huge weeping cherry, winter hazel and witch hazel. Some varieties of hellebore bloom in December and you will see bees visiting them on sunny days.
Later in spring we have blooming rhododendron and azalea shrubs and a variety of bulbs. Late spring blooming native shrubs include Virginia Sweetspire, Viburnum and Fothergilla. Pollinators are attracted to scented plants, especially those with a minty aroma, so we have edged the garden with several varieties of catmint, and included various salvias.
For summer bloom we have two varieties of native Summersweet, large Abelia shrubs, a favorite of bees, and native Oakleaf Hydrangeas. Common garden phlox, mountain mint, coneflower, and black-eyed Susan are native perennials. For butterflies we plant open-faced annuals such as zinnia and cosmos as well as butterfly weed and milkweed. Hosta in flower attracts bees.
Fall brings asters and sedum into bloom and our season ends with a perennial chrysanthemum, Sheffield, which blooms from mid-September until the first hard frost in October. Finally, near the north end of the garden you will see a magnificent Southern Red Oak. This tree is believed to be over 100 years old, and the reason for Bullington's address of Upper Red Oak Trail.
Perennial Garden
Located at spot number three on the map and under the direction of Stan Rogan, this garden is a nice mix of conifers and deciduous trees, many planted from Bob Bullington. The Stewartias, also known as Mountain Camelias at the north end of the garden, were planted by Bob Bullington. This garden has gone through extensive reform in the last year.
