Getting ready for winter

The gardener of the house loves to grow dahlias. He got the first ones from an old uncle and they were first planted at our garden in Crail. Then when we came to our current house in Edinburgh, the dahlias came too.

Every autumn they have to be dug up and the tubers dried out, then wrapped in newspaper and stored in a cool dry place to await spring when they can be replanted. They thrive under such loving care and we have lots.

They provide a bright splash of late summer and early autumn colour in the garden when summer flowers begin to fade.