Advertise on podcast: Dig on Dahlias

Join Joann and Allison chat with Dr. Jan Gawthrop of Oldoc Dahlias. Jan is a bovine pediatrician. He grows dahlias in Northeast Indiana and is a member, previously Vice President, of the Elkhart Dahlia Society.  Jan shares with us a bit of his dahlia history and reminds us how much joy sharing these flowers with others can bring.  Jan new dahlia introductions are distributed through jsdahlias.com and missysdahlias.com. 

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 and @northcascadedahlias on social media. North Cascade Dahlias grows around 600 Bloomquist varieties and is home to to Paul's seedling patch (hardly a patch when you're growing thousands of seedlings) where he selects and grows out potential new varieties. 

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.  Dahlia Legacy Project: https://www.legacy.nwdahlia.org/person/boley-steve-sandy/

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 facebook page. 

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 major podcast platforms. 

Join Joann and Allison chat with Rich Gibson of 20th Ave Dahlias. Rich shares with us all about his dahlia hybridizing from history to technique.  You can find Rich's new introductions for sale through www.crazy4dahlias.com. 

Join Joann and Allison chat with Heidi Zierdt. She is the North Central Trial Garden director as well as the ADS Chairperson for all Trial Gardens. We discuss what an ADS Trial Garden is as well as how to go about entering hybridized blooms to be evaluated. 

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.wixsite.com/home.  You can read more about Jean's dahlia history at the Dahlia Legacy Project webstie here: https://www.legacy.nwdahlia.org/person/heeringa-jean-and-ron/. 

Join Joann and Allison chat about our recent adventures and our emotional preparation for the seasons end. 

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 to recieve updates on her tuber and seed sales.  

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 tuber sale. 

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 to trickle down to the states. Check out the Dahlia Legacy Project's article here: https://www.legacy.nwdahlia.org/person/connie-young-davis/ for more information!

Join Joann and Allison chat with Bec McConnell of Serenade Dahlias over in Australia. Bec is growing primarily for the cut flower market and hybridizing beautiful traditional and new and interesting dahlia forms. Bec has released a couple books about growing and hybridizing dahlias.  You can find out more about Bec and Serenade Dahlias on social media @serenade_dahlias and online at https://serenadefarm.com.au. 

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 on social media IG @lobaughsdahlias. 

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 introductions under the Lulu prefix.  We just right into conversation with Paul! We hope you enjoy as much as we did.