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.
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.
