Hi Paul,

I was wondering if you could shed some light on a problem I had with many of my dahlia blooms last year ?

This problem being back wilt of the petals on mature or nearly mature blooms. What causes it ? I have never had this problem before until 2009. It was not prone to one variety, but cactus, semi cactus and larger decorative blooms were more effected.

I did however have serious mildew problems which did not hit until mid August, obviously when the flowers were about to come into their own. Can mildew cause the back petals to wilt or am I overlooking something else.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Mark