Digging up the Dahlias

Many of the French leave their Dahlias in the ground all year round which if we have a mild winter is probably OK, I prefer to lift and store ours in a frost free place.

It is not a job I like doing BUT in saying that it is much easier here in France than it was in Lancashire due to the soil being sandier. The Lancashire clay used to stick to the tubers like s**t to a blanket!!

Anyway, today I braved the cold, it's only been 6ºC, and started to lift them... Sorry no picture of me at work, it was tooooo cold for Elizabeth to venture out!

Taken in October for ID purposes....

The same bed emptied today...

The next line yet to do, perhaps tomorrow! Some of these have been promised to friends...

A barrow full of all white and purple, I think!

Another set of mixed...

All awaiting ID labels...  Last year though, something went wrong, the labels did not match what came up... Human error? No way!

Their final storage boxes

They will not all fit, so J and N when you are over this way, perhaps you could take yours with you!! And G and T could you just pop back and collect yours (only joking!)