August Digest 2023
Dear Dahlia Friends,
Happy August! Please read below for a note from our President, information about upcoming events, details on how to stage a bloom, and profiles of two DSO members.
Meg
If you'd like to be featured in future issues of the Digest please email me at digest@dahliasocietyofohio.org.
A Note From Our President
Hi All!
Hopefully your dahlias are doing well and you’ve started to see some first blooms on things. Mine have been doing great and now I’ve begun the process of stripping some of the lower leaves to promote airflow between plants.
Here’s a video on how you can do that.
It’s also about the time of the year when you might start to see signs of powdery mildew. Stripping the lower leaves can help but there are a number of products you can try to use to help control this.
I used Milstop last year and had decent results, and I’m going to start spraying this week to be a little more proactive. Shop around as you might find the price cheaper on a different website.
If you have any other tips for us - send me an email and we’ll put it in the next edition of the Digest.
I hope to see you at an upcoming event and just a reminder, there won’t be a regular monthly meeting until October.
Jess
How to Stage a Bloom Workshop
Last year we hosted a How to Stage a Bloom workshop for anyone interested in learning more about how to show dahlias.
As we approach the show season (with the Cuyahoga County fair coming up quickly), I thought it would be a good opportunity to share the video that we took from last year’s presentation.
Our very own Tony & Jackie Evangelista shared tips (and maybe a couple trade secrets) along the way and it’s a great tutorial on everything you need to know in order to prepare to show your flowers.
Watch the Video
Show Season
We’re quickly approaching show season so we thought we would share dates with you so you can plan to attend/exhibit.
Cuyahoga Fair | August 12-13
ADS National Show | August 24-28 (Portland, OR)
Geauga Fair | September 2-4
2023 Midwest Conference | September 8-10 (Pittsburgh, PA)
Summit Mall | September 16-17
Petitti’s | Sept. 30 - Oct. 1
If you have any questions about the upcoming shows, please reach out to Jerry Moreno at moreno@jcu.edu.
Bouquet Arranging Workshop - August 19th, 2023
We’ve had numerous people reach out to let us know that they’re interested in learning more about arranging bouquets.
DSO Member Tracy Gardner, who has worked in the floral industry for over 30 years, will be walking you through the aspects of how to arrange bouquets, talk about mechanics and answer any questions you may have.
We’d love for you to bring flowers/filler from your garden to arrange with but some will also be provided for you to use.
We have reached the maximum number of people but if you’d like to be added to the wait list, please email info@dahliasocietyofohio.org.
Show Season
We’re quickly approaching show season so we thought we would share dates with you so you can plan to attend/exhibit.
Cuyahoga Fair | August 12-13
ADS National Show | August 24-28 (Portland, OR)
Geauga Fair | September 2-4
2023 Midwest Conference | September 8-10 (Pittsburgh, PA)
Summit Mall | September 16-17
Petitti’s | Sept. 30 - Oct. 1
If you have any questions about the upcoming shows, please reach out to Jerry Moreno at moreno@jcu.edu.
DSO Merchandise
If you didn’t know, you can now purchase DSO merchandise. We are using a vendor called Spring to offer a number of different t-shirt, sweatshirt, hats and more!
It’s perfect way to represent the DSO at shows or just around town in NE Ohio.
Introducing New Members!
Name: Sharron (Sherri) Alig
City/Town: Martins Ferry
Tell us a little about yourself: I am a surgical technician at a local hospital. I live on a beef cattle farm with my boyfriend, our three dogs, chickens, a horse, a donkey, and our cows. I love to bake and garden. I have three gardens that keep me busy all summer. I grew 15 dahlias last year and this year I have over 40!
Number of years growing dahlias: Second year.
How did you get into the world of dahlias? My boyfriend's mother grew dahlias and he tells stories of her tending to them. I saw some tubers for sale on Facebook and the rest is history. I'm obsessed.
What is your favorite dahlia to grow? I like the pom pom style best.
Name: Lynn Carpenter
City/Town: Madison, OH
Tell us a little about yourself: I am an 8th grade science teacher. I also work at a stable where I teach horseback riding lessons. Gardening is a huge passion of mine. I have a small veggie garden, cut flower garden, a shade/hosta garden, and have recently been working on a perennial/pollinator friendly portion of my garden. My two goldendoodles like to supervise while I work outside.
Number of years growing dahlias: Two years
How did you get into the world of dahlias? My friend, Pat Spicuzza, has been trying to give me tubers for a few years, but the idea of having to dig them up in the Fall, store them, and bring them out in the Spring to start seemed like too much work. But his passion and joy around growing dahlias won me over. He gave me four tubers in the Spring of 2022. All four tubers bloomed and were so differently beautiful it hooked me. I have gone from 4 dahlias in 2022 to forty in 2023 and love it. While this year I've had a few tubers not sprout and others struggle to grow, it has been so much fun watching them grow, develop buds, and bloom.
What is your favorite dahlia to grow? While it's only my second year and still early in the season, the early and prolific blooms have been Franz Kafka and Peaches n Cream.
