Brilliant to have you here! If you've just scanned the little card from your delivery, welcome. These bumpy brown packages are about to do some absolutely incredible things in your garden.

I grow all of my dahlias right here in Phillip Island, and this guide is exactly how I manage them in our local coastal conditions. Because I am sending these out to you already wide awake with fresh young shoots, you're set up for a garden full of spectacular colour.

Let's get your tubers tucked into the soil properly.

Unboxing & First Steps
Crack that box open as soon as it arrives so the plants can get some fresh air after their journey.

Give them a look over: Healthy tubers should feel nice and firm when you give them a gentle squeeze. Don't worry if they look a bit dusty or have loose, wrinkly skin, that is completely normal.

Spotting the action: You won't have to play any guessing games here. You will easily spot a little green shoot or a prominent eye waking up near the neck of the tuber. They are raring to go!

If you aren't ready to plant this exact minute: Just keep them somewhere cool, dry, and dark for a few days, like a cupboard or the garage. Just don't leave them hidden away for too long, because those eager sprouts are desperate for the sun.

Getting Them Grounded
In our part of the world, timing is everything. Planting dahlia tubers two weeks either side of Melbourne Cup Day (early November) is the traditional rule of thumb. This timing ensures the risk of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up enough for the tubers to sprout and thrive. Planting into freezing, soggy soil too early in the spring is the quickest way to ruin a perfectly good tuber.

1. Finding the Perfect Spot
Dahlias are massive sun worshippers and they love a good feed.

The Light: Find a patch in your garden that gets drenched in sunshine for most of the day.

The Soil: Prepare the bed by digging in plenty of organic compost or old, well-rotted manure to give them a rich, fluffy home. If your soil is heavy clay that holds water like a puddle, work in plenty of organic matter to help it drain. Dahlias hate having wet feet.

Breathing Room: Give each plant about half a metre of space from its neighbour so they have plenty of room to branch out and form big clumps later on.

2. Planting and Staking
Dig a hole or a trench about ten to fifteen centimetres deep.

Lay the tuber flat on its side, making sure that beautiful young shoot is pointing up towards the sky or slightly angled.

Put your stake in right now: Drive a sturdy stake into the ground right next to the tuber at the exact same time you plant it. If you wait until the plant is huge, you risk accidentally spearing your tuber blind underground.

Gently cover it back over with your lovely loose soil and some mulch.

The First Drink: Because your tubers are already awake and running, give them a light gentle watering right after planting just to settle the dirt around them. After that, hold off on heavy watering until that green shoot really breaks through the surface and starts stretching up.

Maintenance & Pushing for Flowers
Feeding for Blooms
Once they are growing nicely, start them on a balanced liquid feed every couple of weeks to get the leafy green framework built. When you notice the very first little flower buds forming, switch to a fertiliser that is low in nitrogen but high in potassium (like flower food). This shifts the plant's focus from growing leaves to pumping out massive, bright blooms. Too much nitrogen at this stage just gives you a giant green bush with no flowers.

The Secret To More Flowers (Pinching)
When your plant gets to about knee-high and has a few sets of leaves, pinch or snip out the absolute central growing tip. I know it feels wrong to cut a healthy plant, but it forces the main stem to bush out sideways. More branches mean way more flowers for your vases.

Picking Your Flowers
When you're cutting flowers for the house or tidying up old dead heads, always cut deep into the plant. Take a nice long stem right down to a strong set of leaves. This tells the plant to send out even more long-stemmed side shoots, meaning you get a continuous supply of flowers right through until the autumn chills set in.

The End of Season Reward
By the time the season winds down and the winter chills put the patch to sleep, magic has happened underground. That single tuber you planted in spring will have multiplied into a whole clump. You can dig them up, divide them, and double your flower patch for next year!

If you hit any snags or just want to share your success stories, come say hello on Instagram over at islandbloomery.

Happy gardening!