Mr Fothergill's Dahlia Mignon Mix Seeds, Loved by butterflies and pollinating insects. After frost blackens plants, lift tubers, allow to dry, store frost-free and replant the following spring for further summer displays.

Sow indoors, a warm kitchen windowsill is all you need for starting these seeds. Sow 0.5cm deep, in trays of compost. Water well and place in a warm position. A temperature of 15-20°C. is ideal. Keep moist. Seedlings usually appear in 14-28 days. Transplant seedlings 5cm apart to other trays when large enough to handle. (Always handle by a leaf, never by the stem.) Grow on in cooler, but not cold conditions. Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions (avoid frosts), before planting out 30cm apart, when frosts are over. Water plants regularly in dry spells and remove dead flowers to prolong the flowering season.

• A half hardy perennial, best grown as half hardy annual
• Attracts pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hoverflies
• Flowers same year, dwarf and compact for pots and beds

Sow time: Feb-Apr
Flowering/Harvesting time: Jun-Oct