Utah Dahlia Society

Fall Social 2011

2011-10-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

2011 Exhibition Show

2011-10-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Utah Dahlia Society's 2011 Exhibition Show

was held on

September 24th and 25th

at the Garden Center

We are Proud to Announce our Winners:

People's Choice Award
Snow n' Tell
Nicholas Spencer
Nick is also a winner as our Show Chairman...
Thanks Nick!

Best AA and Best of Show
Wanda's Aurora
Maxine Clark and Karen Crook

Best A
Vassio Meggos
Mark Hurst

Best B
Hollyhill Quintessence
Stephen LeCheminant

Best BB
Hollyhill Bewitched
Megan Badger

Best Exotic
Hollyhill Spiderwoman
Ryan and Julie Williams

Best M
Glenbank Twinkle
David Ross

Best Three Blooms
Glenbank Twinkle
David Ross

Best Club Flower
Snowbound
David Ross

Best Ball
Woodland's Dufus
Maxine Clark

Best Arrangement
Maxine Clark

The above list are those that were judged best of each form. The complete list of winners is available upon request.

Thanks to Megan Badger for all she does, Spencer Mortensen, Mark Hurst and others for their generous donations of flowers for our fund raiser.
Many thanks to Christina Lundberg for taking care of business and everyone that helped clean up after the show.

SHOW TIME!

2011-09-21T16:58:00.001-07:00

Summer Social 2011

2011-09-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Megan Badger was our host for our

Utah Dahlia Society Summer Social

held on August 17th.

We all enjoyed the prizes she collected to be won on a spinning wheel and the ice cream bars she served.

Prizes with all ages in mind could be won with a spin of a wheel.

We each took a turn to brag about our successes and complain about our failures.

Dick Taylor won a special watering can and helps to show off some of our early blooms.

Karen Crook loves to mix up the blooms in her garden.

Utah Dahlia Society Summer Social

2011-08-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

DAHLIA SEASON!

2011-07-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Millcreek Gardens was our generous sponsor for our Dahlia Sale again this year. We were snowed out in April but had a great day and successful sale on May 7 and 14th.

Dave Ross hand picking some great tubers for 42nd Street Nursery

Karen and Nick showing off their Dahlia Shirts.

Mark Hurst and Megan Badger

leading the way to another great season for the

Utah Dahlia Society.

Our meeting on June 15th was a chance to gain valuable

knowledge from Spencer Mortensen's vast experiences growing not only Dahlias but many edibles, espalier, and how to produce "black gold" by raising worms.

Thanks to Spence for the wonderful presentation and sharing with us. Also, thanks to Megan for the refreshments: homemade rhubarb jam ( the rhubarb was from Mark's garden) and wonderful bread and drinks.

Our Demonstration Garden got a late start this year due to our cold and wet weather. It was finally planted on June 14th.

Mark Hurst had top soil delivered and tilled in a good supply of dried leaves before the Society members got started getting the beds ready.

Steve LeCheminant measured the garden so the spacing was just right.

Dave Ross was an expert "post hole" digger.

Sandy Burgess put her planting skills to work.

Steve and Mark working out the details.

The Utah Dahlia Society Demonstration Garden sign.

Miss Delilah gets a mass planting all to herself.

All planted.

We have high hopes for another terrific dahlia season!

Our next meeting is August 17th.

Watch for more details as to time and place.

**As a side note many of us started seeing blooms in mid-July despite the cold and rainy start;-)

Member's Tuber Sale 2011

2011-05-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

April 20th was the date of our

2011 Member's Only Tuber Sale.

We had hundreds of tubers available for sale for only $3.00 each. They were donated by our members and some of our favorite growers.

Thanks to everyone for their generosity.

Bagging and tagging tubers was a snap this year.

Most of the work was done at home and just the bags and tags were left to do.

Paula Daniels was in charge of refreshments and did a great job with the help of her husband, Mike. Many thanks for their work. Also thanks to Megan Badger for organizing the event. She left us on our own for a "once in lifetime" adventure on the high seas and was missed.

Pizza, cookies and drinks were delicious!

Our first tuber sale at Millcreek Gardens on April 30 was SNOWED out.

We are scheduled again for next Saturday, May 7th at Millcreek from 10:00am until 4:00 pm and hope to have sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Please come out and get your tubers and support

THE UTAH DAHLIA SOCIETY.

We have hundreds to choose from and look forward to seeing you.

Save The Dates

2011-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Utah Dahlia Society Meeting Tonight

2011-02-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

   Just a Reminder that our first meeting of 2011 will be held on Wednesday February 16th at 7 p.m. at the Garden Center at Sugar House Park (1602 East 2100 South). For the main event we will be viewing a DVD from the National Capital Society entitled "If you like dahlias, you'll love this... the Ultimate Growing Guide". There will also be time for questions and we want to hear how those stored tubers are doing. This would the perfect night to invite your friends who want to try growing dahlias.

   This reminder (Thanks Megan) reminded me that I haven't posted our photos from our Dahlia Fiesta held on October 20, 2010. We had delicious food from Cafe Rio and those of us that are sick of winter (I know we have had a break for a few days but IT IS supposed to snow tonight) notice how long we had fresh Dahlias last fall. It was amazing to have them so long in our climate.
   The evening was a huge success with most of our members attending and some invited guests. Thanks to Millcreek Gardens for their continued support and bringing many fun plants used as door prizes.

Sad News

2010-12-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

Megan Badger, The Utah Dahlia Society's hardest worker lost her Mother, Joan Spandre this past Saturday, December 18. There will be a visitation at Cottonwood Mortuary on Tuesday, December 21st from 6:00 until 8:00. A graveside service will be held Wednesday at 2:00 at the Salt Lake Cemetery.

We all send Megan and her family our most sincere condolences. Our hearts go out to you at this difficult time.

How to Store Dahlia Tubers by Ryan Williams

2010-11-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Ryan Williams, our member from Logan was kind enough to type out his method for storing his dahlia tubers. The plastic wrap method is in Mark's book, The Dahlia Diary. Let Megan know if you need a copy.

Ryan and Julie William's Method

Storing Tubers

Once they are dug, washed, and devided I store them in zip-lock bags. I use the gallon size so I don't have to use so many but any size will do. I poke several holes in the bag so they can breathe. I do it with a board that has lots of nails sticking out so I can poke all the holes at once but a pencil or anything else works fine. Some people dust them with sulfer or dip them in a solution of captan which is a good precaution but I usually don't. Hopefully that doesn't backfire on me someday. As I seperate the clumps I can usually put one clump per gallon bag. Some varieties won't fit in one. If I only have one plant of a paticular variety I split it up into two bags just as a precaution. If one bag goes bad I don't lose the whole variety. I then put in some vermiculite, just enough to cover the tubers. Maybe two cups (I am not sure exactly I just put in what looks good to me.)  Then I put the bags into a fridge that is set at 40 degrees. Any cool dark place will work fine. I check them several times during the winter to make sure they are happy. Every once in a while I will see some mold show up in a bag of tubers. If I see mold I take the tubers out and make sure they are not damaged. If they are I toss them and spray the bag with an anti-fungal. Maybe if you dust them in sulfer first you won't even have to worry. I don't ever have much of a problem. It may show up in a bag or two but that is usually the extent of it.

Second Annual Dahlia Show

2010-10-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

Megan Badger with her Best of Show flower

"Granny Norman"

   The Utah Dahlia Society's Second Annual Dahlia Exhibition Show exceeded our dreams for a successful show. We had well over 100 entries and attendees coming from miles away to enjoy the best of the best dahlias grown in our area. The excitement was contagious as we welcomed 6 new members to our growing Dahlia Society.

   The following is a complete list of winners in each category:

AA Formal Decorative
1. Clyde's Choice Megan Badger
2. Clyde's Choice Steve LeCheminant

AA Informal Decorative
1. Penhill Watermelon Ryan and Julie Williams
2. Maki Karen Crook
3. Zorro Paula Daniels

AA Semi Cactus
2. Grand Finale Larry Stevens
3. Penhill Andres Memory Mark Hurst

A Informal Decorative
1. Spartacus Dee Davis
2. Lovely Lana Karen Crook
3. Snowbound Megan Badger

A Cactus
2. Hy Mom Dee Davis

A Lacinated
2. Show 'n Tell   Steve Le Cheminant

A Three Blooms
2. Vassio Meggos Dee Davis
3. Lovely Lana Karen Crook

B Formal Decorative
1. Sterling Silver Mark Hurst
2. Castle Drive UDS
3. Kiara Pompadeur Dee Davis

B Informal Decorative
1. American Beauty Paula Davis
2. Onabrook Angel UDS
3. Cafe' Au'Lait UDS

B Semi Cactus
1. Granny Norman Megan Badger
2. Hamari Accord Stephen LeCheminant
3. Sea Helado Dee Davis

B Cactus
1. Alfred Grill Ryan and Julie Williams

B Lacinated
1. Colwood Scheri Elaine Davis
2. Colwood Scheri UDS
3. Citron DeCap Dee Davis

B Three Blooms
1. American Beauty Paula Daniels

BB Formal Decorative
1. Formby Alpine Steve LeCheminant
2. Honey Dew Ryan and Julie Williams
3. Boogie Nights Maxine Clark

BB Informal Decorative
1. Who Dun It UDS
2. Dark Magic Karen Crook
3. Bahama Mama Karen Crook

BB Semi Cactus
1. Embrace Ryan and Julie Williams
2. Camano Cloud Ryan and Julie Williams
3. Loverboy Mark Hurst

BB Cactus
1. Red Devil Ryan and Julie Williams

BB Lacinated
1. Urchin Ryan and Julie Williams

BB Three Blooms
2. Bristol Fleck Karen Crook

M Formal Decorative
1. Brian's Dream Megan Badger
2. Shadow Cat UDS
3. Amorus Ryan and Julie Williams

M Informal Decorative
3. Brushstrokes Mark Hurst

M Cactus
1. Western Spanish Dancer Stephen LeCheminant
2. White Lightning UDS
3. Checkers Dee Davis

Miniature Ball
1. Woodland Dufus Karen Crook

Ball
1. Cornel Ryan and Julie Williams
2. Mary Jomanda Megan Badger
3. Brookside Snowball Maxine Clark

Pompon
2. Glenplace Mark Hurst

Waterlily
1. Cameo Dee Davis
2. Bliss Steve Anderson

Steller
3. Lorona Dawn Megan Badger

Anemone
1. Dad's Favorite Megan Badger
2. Dad's Favorite UDS

Collarette
1. Pooh Mark Hurst
2. Pooh Paula Daniels

Club Flower (Brookside Snowball)
1. Mark Hurst
2. Joan Creer
3. Paula Daniels

Small Arrangement
1. Sea Foam Ryan and Julie Williams
2. Orange Crush Megan Badger
3. Pretty in Pink Sue Hurst

Large Arrangement
1. My Favorites Karen Crook

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS

BEST AA Penhill Watermelon Ryan and Julie Williams
BEST A Spartacus Dee Davis
BEST B Granny Norman Megan Badger
BEST BB Formby Alpine Stephen LeCheminant
BEST M Brian's Dream Megan Badger
BEST BALL Woodland Dufus Karen Crook
BEST EXOTIC Dad's Favorite Megan Badger
BEST 3 BLOOM Western Spanish Dancer Dee Davis
BEST ARRANGEMENT My Favorites Karen Crook
BEST CLUB Brookside Snowball Mark Hurst

BEST IN SHOW

MEGAN BADGER

FOR

GRANNY NORMAN

PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD
was a tie between
Granny Norman Megan Badger
Maki Karen Crook

Congratulations to all our winners and thanks to everyone for participating.

Many thanks to Spencer Mortenson and Mark Hurst for donating flowers to sell for our fund raiser. A big THANK YOU to Megan Badger for all she does, Nick Spencer for his efforts as Show Chairman and all the volunteers that made the show possible.

2010 Exhibition Show

2010-09-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Photo Contest

Bring your 5X7 photos of your dahlias for our competition to be included in our
2011 Utah Dahlia Society Calendar.
Everyone visiting our show will be invited to vote. The 13 photos with the most votes will be in the calendar. The photo with the most votes will be featured on the cover.
Photo Entry Requirements: 5X7 Prints with the name of the Dahlia featured and the name of the photographer.
The Utah Dahlia Society will have the right to use the winning photos on the calendar and for marketing purposes.

August Meeting- Preview of our September Show

2010-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Nick Spencer for his presentation on preparing our dahlias to show. We appreciated Mike and Paula Daniels for sharing their beautiful home and garden with us. And as always, a big thank you to Megan Badger for her efforts to make every meeting a pleasure.

Our August meeting held on the 18th was met with another rain storm. It didn't stop us from having a great time.

If the flowers that were at this meeting are any indication of our upcoming show it should be SPECTACULAR!
Watch for details coming soon.

August Meeting

2010-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Karen's first dahlia bouquet from her new lasagna garden.

Our August meeting
will be held
Wednesday, August 18th
at the home of
Mike and Paula Daniels
1960 East Cresthill Drive (4625 South)
7:00 pm

Nick Spencer is going to teach us to present our flowers for showing or simply for our own enjoyment.
Please come, bring your flowers to arrange and enjoy a piece of pie!

Rain or Shine Picnic

2010-06-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

June 16th was wet but it didn't dampen the spirits of our Utah Dahlia Society Members.

We came out to enjoy hamburgers, hot dogs and yummy salads with homemade ice cream and cookies for dessert.

Our youngest and cutest member.

Mark Hurst unveils our Utah Dahlia Society Demonstration Garden Sign.

Despite the heavy rainfall and colder temperatures most of the 64 dahlias planted showed up for the event!

Thanks to Mark we had a warm and lovely place to have our picnic out of the rain. We also kicked off our photo competition for our members to take pictures of their dahlias and submit them for our 2011 Utah Dahlia Society Calendar.

Our next meeting will be in August. Check your e-mails or this site for information.

Rained Out

2010-05-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

We were rained out yesterday for our scheduled dahlia tuber sale for this year.
Don't worry....you can still get tubers from us by leaving a message here
or coming to the Red Butte Garden plant sale next Saturday, May 8th.

TUBER PARTY AND SALE 2010

2010-04-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

Spring means Dahlia Tuber Sales to members of the

American Dahlia Society.

The Utah Chapter

joined in the fun with our

second annual Tuber Sale

hosted by

Millcreek Gardens.

Our President, Mark Hurst offered these lovely cuttings and seedlings.

We kicked off our Tuber Sale with a tuber party for members. It was a chance to have some fun, bag our tubers and get first pick of the many tubers donated for sale.

Cutting tubers......

the next step was to write the names on the tubers and then off to the next station......

to be bagged in vermiculite with a label including a picture and classification on the bag.

Don't forget to punch the air hole!

We all worked up an appetite and enjoyed a pizza buffet with all the trimmings.

A two hour drive each way to help out and bring tubers by our Logan members was much appreciated.

Mark Hurst and daughter Clea.

Mark does a book signing for his Dahlia Diary surrounded by

Eva Jensen, Megan Badger and Karen Crook.

Our 2010 Tuber Sale on April 24th was greeted by perfect weather and interest from new and more experienced growers alike.

Many thanks once again to Millcreek Gardens for hosting our sale and to the many members and growers that donated tubers.

We have some great tubers left and will be back to

Millcreek Gardens

again next

Saturday, May 1st at 10:00.

Spring 2010

2010-03-31T10:47:00.001-07:00

The calendar tells us it is time to wake up from our long winter's rest and start to make our dreams of a beautiful dahlia garden a reality.

Just don't look out the window. If you do, don't let the snow keep you from getting your tubers out of storage so they will be ready for our annual Utah Dahlia Society dahlia sale on April 24th and and May 1st.

Millcreek Gardens will be our generous host again this year.

Be sure to attend our meeting on Wednesday, April 21st at the Garden Center. We will have the bags and vermiculite to bag and label your tuber donations for the sale. It will also be a members only chance at some of the tubers you have had your eye on. Watch for an e-mail with more details and a request for your donation inventory so we can get the labels made ahead of time.

In other news Mark Hurst, Eva Jensen and Megan Badger have been busy getting the Utah Dahlia Society's "Dahlia Diary" ready. It is a step by step guide to growing dahlias for the Utah grower. Be sure to get your copy at the tuber sale. The dahlia pictured above will be featured on the cover.

Remember to Save the Dates:

April 21st

April 24th

May 1st

2009 Dahlia Show

2009-10-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

MARK HURST won Best of Show President's Award for his "Hana Hitosuji".

Hana Hitosuji

Best in their Class Winners
Best AA - Hana Hitosuji - Mark Hurst
Best A - Lovely Lana - Karen Crook
Best B- -Hamari Accord - David Ross
Best BB - Painted Lady - Vergil Young
Best M - Western Spanish Dancer - Karen Crook
Best Ball - Brookside Snowball - Mark Hurst
Best Pompon - Glenplace - Mark Hurst
Best Exotic - Pooh - Megan Badger
Best Three Blooms- Western Spanish Dancer - Stephen LeCheminant
Best Club - Mark Hurst
Best Arrangement - Pristine White - Kathy Young

SHOW WINNERS
101 AA Formal Decorative
2- Kelvin Floodlight - Mark Hurst
3- Bonaventure - Mark Hurst
102 AA Informal Decorative
1-Sam Huston - David Ross
2-Croydon's Masterpiece - Megan Badger
3-Vera Seyfang - Megan Badger
103 AA Semi Cactus
1-Penhill Andre's Memory - Mark Hurst
2- Grand Finale - Dick Taylor
3- Dr. Les - Megan Badger
104 AA Cactus
1- Hana Hitsuji - Mark Hurst
108 A Informal Decorative
1- Gitts Respect - Stephen Le Cheminant
2- Spartacus - Mark Hurst
3- Gitts Perfection - Dick Taylor
109 A Semi Cactus
1- Lovely Lana - Karen Crook
2-Inland Dynasty - Stephen Le Cheminant
3- Wildman - Larry Stevens
111 A Lacinated
2- Show n Tell - Stephen Le Cheminant
113 B Formal Decorative
1- Sterling Silver - Mark Hurst
2- Kiara Pompadour - Stephen Le Cheminant
3- Cafe' Au Lait - Megan Badger
114 B Informal Decorative
2-I'm a Hottie - Edna Young
115 B Semi Cactus
1- Hamari Accord - David Ross
2- Kenora Challenger - Stephen Le Cheminant
3- Jennifer Lynn - Dick Taylor
116 B Cactus
1- Sweet Dreams - Karen Crook
118 B Three Blooms
1- Miss Delilah - Mark Hurst
119 BB Formal Decorative
1-Formby Alpine - Mark Hurst
2- Clara Marie - David Ross
3- Mr. Jimmy - Karen Crook
120 BB Informal Decorative
1-Painted Lady - Vergil Young
2-Bahama Mama- Stephen Le Cheminant
3- Purple Beauty - Becky Clark
121 BB Semi Cactus
1- Embrace - Mark Hurst
2- Loverboy - Megan Badger
124 BB Three Blooms
1- Jomanda -David Ross
2- Herbert Smith - Megan Badger
125 M Formal Decorative
1- Regmans Polish Kid - Mark Hurst
2- Mardi Gras - Megan Badger
3- Daniel Edwards - David Ross
126 M Informal Decorative
1- Brushstrokes - Mark Hurst
128 M Cactus
1- Western Spanish Dancer - Karen Crook
130 M Three Blooms
1- Western Spanish Dancer - Stephen Le Cheminant
131 Miniature Ball
1-Woodlands Dufus - Karen Crook
2-Hy Suntan - Mark Hurst
132 Miniature Ball Three Blooms
1- Ivenetti - David Ross
133 Ball
1- Brookside Snowball - Mark Hurst
2- Brookside Snowball - Vergil Young
3-Paul Smith - David Ross
135 Pompon
1- Glenplace - Mark Hurst
136 Pompon Three Blooms
1- Glenplace - Mark Hurst
140 Single
1- Bashful - David Ross
145 Anemone
1- Dad's Favorite - Dee Jones
146 Collarette
1- Pooh - Megan Badger
147 Club Flower - Spartacus
1- Mark Hurst
2- David Ross
3- Sandy Burgess
148 Small Arrangement
1- Pristine White - Kathy Young
2- U of U - Megan Badger
3- Orchids - Sandy Burgess
149 Large Arrangement
1- Autumn Glory - Kathy Young
2- Dahlia Topiary - Megan Badger
3- All My Garden - Kathy Young

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!
Thank you to everyone that participated and a special Thank You to Nick Spencer for his work as Show Head, Megan Badger and Mark Hurst for their efforts and Spencer Mortensen and others for their generous donations of flowers for our fund raiser.

2009 Dahlia Exhibition Show

2009-09-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Utah Dahlia Society

2009 Dahlia Exhibition Show

Saturday, September 26th 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 27th 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

To be held at the Garden Center

at Sugarhouse Park 1620 East 2100 South

FREE ADMISSION

There will be cut Dahlias

and

Greeting Cards

with original photography of our dahlias

for sale

If you have dahlias you would like to exhibit you need to have your flowers at the Garden Center before 10:00 a.m. on the 26th.

You do not have to be a member to join in the fun.

Nick's Dedication

2009-09-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

There are several people in the Utah Dahlia Society that are dedicated to this lovely flower.Nick's dedication is amazing to say the least.
He comes home each day at lunch time to install dozens of umbrellas to shade his precious blooms from the harsh afternoon sun or an expected storm.

The dahlia display in his garden reflect the patience and care they have been given.

If you would like to see Nick's and other's dahlias be sure to attend the State Fair that started today.

Better yet, be sure to attend our upcoming

Utah Dahlia Society show that will be held

September 26th and 27th.

We will post more details soon.

Hope to see you there!

Dahlia Judging Seminar

2009-07-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Wayne and Eleanor Shantz conducted our first Dahlia Judging Seminar on July 25th and 26th.

We appreciated the effort they put into teaching us all more than we could have imagined about Dahlias. This class was not for the light of heart, it concluded with a 9 page comprehensive test that made sure we all knew our dahlias and would insure that our show coming up in September would be judged in a proper manner.

A big Thank You to Megan Badger for her organizational skills and for all the delicious food.

June News from Megan

2009-06-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Utah Dahlia Society,

Since we last met... we have held our first tuber sale, which was a huge success thanks to the sale manager Jane Dahle and our host, Millcreek Gardens. Thanks also goes to all the local growers and the Colorado Dahlia Society for donating tubers. Summer is here and now that our tubers are in and (hopefully) growing, there is a lot to think about. If you have questions or answers about topping, fertilizing, staking or pest control...Come to our next meeting at Becky Swallberg's home on Wednesday June 24th at 7 p.m.. It is the perfect time to come learn more, ask questions of our resident experts, see a beautiful garden and hear about our upcoming events.

BIG NEWS! We have the good fortune of having two retired ADS (American Dahlia Society) Judges coming to give a 2 day judging school on July 25th & 26th. The school will be held downtown at 215 So. State on both days from 9-4 with registration starting at 8:30 a.m.. The cost is $20 and includes all material. Wayne and Eleanor Shantz are the Judges who have so generously offered to come help our group get off to a great start before our first "real" show. We never dreamed we would have this amazing opportunity of having a judging seminar so soon after the start of the Utah Dahlia Society. It really is a once in a lifetime chance and we hope that those who are interested will be able to attend.

More BIG NEWS! Thanks, to Mark Hurst & Lumpy Grayson for preparing and planting 63 tubers in the new Utah Dahlia Society Demonstration Garden. It is located at the Granger Christian Church (3232 West 4100 South). A garden tour is definitely on the agenda when the dahlias are blooming. At the present time 2/3 of the tubers are up. That's good news for the rest of us who are wondering why ours aren't growing yet. All this rain is great, but we need some good hot days to get things growing.

*see below for more information about Wayne and Eleanor and what will be covered in the course. *Credentials for Wayne and Eleanor Shantz:
Schooling: Master’s degrees from the U. of Oregon
Occupation: Public School Teachers (Eleanor with a major in elementary education and Wayne secondary with a major in English).
Experience: Senior judges for over 30 years; Chairs of judges and clerks for the Lane County Dahlia Society Shows (Eugene); dahlia judging instructors since the 1980s, (locations for instruction include Victoria, Canada, Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Eugene, Cottage Grove, Roseburg, North Bend, and San Francisco); Seminar presentations at ADS National Conventions and Shows; Members of the ADS Executive Board (currently representing the Pacific Northwest Dahlia Conference); Members of the ADS Classification Committee, Members of the Revision Committee for the Guide to Judging Dahlias publication, (2002), 2001-2007; Classification Chairs of the American Dahlia Society; Compilation of a DVD on dahlia hybridizing.
Awards: PNDC Gold Medal Award; ADS Gold Medal Award, and winners of best in show entries.

Potential Course Content:
The seminar will be a dahlia immersion experience, designed to inform participants about dahlia evaluation and husbandry. The course will accommodate both the beginner wanting to know more about growing dahlias and those desiring to assess the finer qualities of the dahlia. Every attempt will be made to tailor the content to the needs of those present.
The syllabus consists of the following:: Texts and materials, dahlia evaluation overview, horticultural overview, evaluation of principal dahlia characteristics, judging in a show, scorecards and scoring dahlias, dahlia botany, goals for a competent judge, and an extensive bibliography on gardening and dahlias.

Dahlia Sale

2009-04-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Despite cold temperatures the First Annual Utah Dahlia Society Tuber Sale was a grand success. Thanks to Millcreek Gardens for hosting our event and our generous members for donating the tubers.

Jane busy sorting tubers into categories and Steve is all smiles for our customers.

Megan braved the cold with helpful information and took care of business.

Dave and Nick had growing tips for everyone.....just don't get in the way of those blue ribbons!

If you missed out this past Saturday we will be at Millcreek Gardens again Saturday, May 2nd from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. We still have plenty of tubers so come and join the fun!

First Annual Tuber Sale

2009-03-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Notes from the Dahlia Diaries
2009 Spring Tuber Sale

By Jane Dahle

…been looking for a “special something” to add to this year’s garden to

*brighten a forgotten corner of the yard?
*put some pizzazz! into your summer flower routine?
*challenge or expand your horticultural expertise?
*give the neighbors something to talk about?
*create a little healthy “garden envy” among friends?
*add to your cut-flower repertoire?
*earn a blue ribbon at the State Fair?
*answer the soon-to-be-asked: What to get the woman-who-has-everything for Mother’s Day?

The answers to all these queries and criteria can be summed up in just one flower: Dahlia!

Hard to believe that all this – and more – awaits you in one (little) tuber. But it’s true! Familiar yet elusive, it’s no secret that the dahlia graces the most discerning of gardens. Not difficult to grow, but responsive to TLC, a dahlia may be in your future. If you’ll forgive the simplistic, “if you can grow tomatoes, you can grow dahlias”, then many a gardener is in for a new floral treat.

From miniature (Poppet) to mountainous (Vesuvius), historic (Erik the Red) to hilarious (Betty Boop), mythical (Prometheus) to mysterious (Who Dun It), hero (Robin Hood) to heroine (Scarlett O’Hara), shy (Bashful) to shameless (Bodacious), dahlias have it all! Dahlias are great imitators, masquerading in many a garden as “cactus”, “orchid”, “peony”, and even “water lily”. But down to their tubers, they’re dahlias all the same.

The best place to find the dahlia(s) of your dreams is at the Utah Dahlia Society’s first Annual Tuber Sale on Saturday, April 25. Mill Creek Gardens (3500 S 900 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84106) has graciously agreed to host this event, beginning at 10 a.m.

Many Utah Master Gardeners have introduced dahlias to their gardens through the years via Mark Hurst’s tubers at the MG plant swap. Mark was sure to emphasize that he’ll have no tubers at the swap this year; all his tubers are headed for the Tuber Sale!

While dahlia tubers are available to Utah gardeners from many sources across the country, one thing to note is that the tubers at the Sale have “proven” themselves (i.e. survived) in our Intermountain climate. As with other botanical species and cultivars, not all are viable in Utah’s climate and conditions. We’re expecting over 60 different cultivars to be available for the sale! Come chat with some of our local dedicated dahlia growers (our youngest enthusiast is 10 years old!), and see what delights are waiting for your garden this year.

Utah Dahlia Society

2009-02-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Utah Dahlia Society

The Utah Dahlia Society is up and running. All the preliminary steps have been taken to launch the newest of Utah's garden societies. A common interest and a love of dahlias has brought us together as a group to enjoy their beauty and to learn how to better grow and cultivate them.

Our first exhibition was held last October. We had 163 entries and over 100 people in attendance.

Exciting events have been planned for this year.

The First Annual

Utah Dahlia Society Tuber Sale

will be held April 25, 2009.

We are looking for the perfect location and will post the information when it becomes available.The Utah Dahlia Society flower show will be held

September 26th & 27th

at a location to be announced.

We now have 34 members; some long-time growers, some with a little experience and some complete novices. If you would like to join please leave a comment and your contact information. Membership is only $25.00 and includes detailed information on growing dahlias, workshops and fun.