Dazzling dahlias: Colorful blooms make a splashy summer send-off in gardens

photo Five-month-old Savannah Tishaw looks at Snoho Doris dahlia blooms in her grandmother's back yard.
photo Valley Rustbucket dahlia
photo Just Married dahlia blooms, above, reach their peak at the home of Tom and Ann Buggey in Hixson.
photo Hilltop Zoe dahlia

IF YOU GO* What: Dahlia Society of Tennessee annual show.* When: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21.* Where: Erlanger VW Wellness Center, 7390 Volkswagen Drive.* Admission: Free; dahlia blooms for sale.

Ann Buggey has been gardening for 15 years, primarily in perennials but with some berries and vegetables in the mix. But after attending last year's Dahlia Society of Tennessee show, the Hixson resident was so impressed by the splashy blooms, she tried her hand with them.

"My first year has been more successful than I ever would have dreamed it could be," she says. "I've got 60 dahlias of all sizes, colors and shapes, everything from miniature single-leaf flowers to gigantic yellow and orange cactus flowers. I've lost only a couple of dahlias, and about 50 percent of the flowers are in bloom, so I have lots more surprises to look forward to."

The dahlia novice plans to enter some of her favorites in this month's Dahlia Society show, which will take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20-21, in the VW Wellness Center at Enterprise South. Society President Rose Newsom says that, in addition to viewing dahlias' dazzling colors and varieties, visitors can take some home as well.

"We will be selling dahlia blooms on both days; and on Sunday, starting about 3 p.m., we will sell the show flowers as well," Newsom says.

Dahlias come in 19 different forms and 10 sizes. They bloom until frost hits, creating a splashy summer send-off in the garden. Buggey says dahlias' variety of of sizes and colors amazed her when she attended her first Dahlia Society show last year.

"I particularly liked the cactus and informal decorative flowers. So many of the dahlias had blends of colors I had never seen before," Buggey says. "My goal was to grow a little bit of every major type and size."

Dahlia Society members as well as local dahlia expert Ray Phillips helped her get started, she says.

"My biggest challenge was fertilizing and insect control," the rookie says about her first dahlia season. "Overall, the dahlias have been very easy to grow. Ray taught me a lot about how to divide and plant tubers, how to de-bud and de-leaf the flowers once they began to grow."

Their backyard riot of color has captivated the whole family, she adds.

"My family likes to see what's blooming and we have lots of discussions about petal forms and colors and try to decide which type we each like best. My husband, Tom (a gardener for 35 years), has been won over to dahlias this year. He enjoys the flowers and is taking photographs to make a slideshow of the blooms. My daughter and her fiancé are also fans of the flowers."

Buggey says she has learned that dahlias take some work and care, "but once you've learned the basics, they are easy to grow. The beautiful colors and exquisite blooms make the work worthwhile."

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.

Upcoming Events