Dig on Dahlias

Join Joann and Allison discuss the Pacific Northwest Trial Garden in Tacoma, WA with Trial Garden Director Terry Schroeder. Terry has made significant contributions to the dahlia community. In addition to being director of the Tacoma Trial Gardens, Terry also serves as secretary for the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers and secretary for the American Dahlia Society.  

Terry shares with us how she and her husband, Bob, help coo...

Join Joann and Allison sitting around the table with Barb and Paul Bloomquist of Bloomquist Dahlias talk about how they started growing dahlias and how it looked for them over the years. Bloomquist dahlias are known for their beauty and strong plant habits, definitely staples in the dahlia garden. 

If you're intereresting in purchasing new Bloomquist releases be sure to follow Paul's son's dahlia farm www.northcascadedahlias.com an...

Part 2 of our discussion with Steve and Sandy Boley of Birch Bay dahlias discussing their mentors. However, we do often get off topic and Steve and Sandy share quite a bit about breeding. 

Part 2 cover mentors: Wayne Holland, Jean Herringa, Steve Santose, Walt and Cory Wynne, Dick Williams and Bill Bonneywell. 

You can find out more about Steve and Sandy's breeding on their website www.birchbaydahlias.com or on their facebook page....

Steve and Sandy Boley of Birch Bay Dahlias are back! This time our converstaion focuses on how the many mentors of theirs influenced their journey to become the incredible hybridizers that they are today. 

Part 1 goes over mentors: Dr Kieth Hammett, Gordie Leroux, Richard Raymond, Evie Gullikson, Curt Sell and Bill McClaren. 

You can find out more about Steve and Sandy's breeding on their website www.birchbaydahlias.com or on their...

Join Joann and Allison chat with Deanna of the Growing Kindness Movement. Driven by a mission to use flowers as a way to connect and show kindness towards others, the Growing Kindness Movment has become a worldwide effort.  

To find out more about the Growing Kindness Movement, check out www.growingkindndessproject.com or on social media @growingkindnessproject. You can listen in on their new podcast, Growing Kindness, on all the m...

Join Joann and Allison chat with Jean Heeringa of Vista Dahlias! Her niece Lindsey, of IA Flower Farm, joins in on the conversation.  Jean truely has a love for growing this beautiful flower, paired up with her innovative husband, Ron, the two grew thousands of dahlias in Whatcom County. 

Jean no longer sell hers tubers. You can find them with Lindsey at www.iaflowerfarm.com and another family member, Stacy, https://dillndahlia.wix...

Join Joann and Allison chat with Melissa of Bee Merry Farm talk all things running a dahlia farm while simultaneously working two other jobs. Melissa's love for dahilas and compassion for others is very apparent in all the wonderful things she does. Listen in as she shares what she is up to!

You can follow Melissa on social media @beemerryfarm and on her website www.beemerryfarm.com. Follow her newsletter and her social media page ...

Join Joann and Allison chat with Nina about her new rose business Heart Song Roses. While Nina has been in the floral industry for years as Trillium Finch, she is braching out with a renewed love for old heritage roses selling varieties that are nearly impossible to find. 

Follow Nina on social media @trilliumfinch to find out more about Heart Song Roses and where to buy these roses and to find out information about Nina's annual t...

Join Joann and Allison chat with Connie Young-Davis. Among many other talents outside of the garden, Connie is an exceptional dahlia exhibitionist and dahlia hybridizer (prefix Connie). She shares with us how she plans and tends her garden so her blooms can end up on the head table time and time again. 

Connie's garden is up in Canada, her varities are more easily accessible through Canadian tuber stores, however, they are starting...

Join Joann and Allison chat with Wayne Lobaugh, senior dahlia judge, exhbitior and dahlia hybridizer discuss the new ADS show entry, the Market Bunch. Wayne discusses a little history of how the market bunch came to be and how it has been going with the clubs that have added it to their show entries.

Wayne runs Lobaugh's Dahlias www.lobaughsdahlias.com. You can see his beautiful new intorductions by following him at his website or ...

Join Joann and Allison chat all things dahlia exhibition with well accomplished dahlia exhibitor and senior judge, Paul Howard. 

Paul and his wife, Cheryl, will surely be on the head table at each show they attend. They carefully grow and tend to their plants to perfection. Paul shares with us how to also be successful at growing dahlias for exhibition. While, at the current time, their focus is not on hybridizing, they have introd...

Join Joann and Allison chat with Jim Kassner. Jim is the Show Chair for the 2025 ADS Nationals in Chicago. He is responsible for making sure everything is in order for another fantastic national show. While we didn't spend much time discussing it, Jim is an excellent exhibitor and senior judge.

Jim covers a few of the differences between exhibiting dahlias in the Pacific Northwest compared to exhibition in the Midwest. We also get ...