April Digest 2023
Dear Dahlia Friends,
Please read below for a note from our president, details about the upcoming tuber sale and mentorship program, 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!
I’m guessing all of you were just as excited for the first day of spring as I was. I have cold hardy plants in the ground and convinced my husband that I needed a second greenhouse which we will hopefully be able to get up soon (and by we, I mean he).
My seedlings and tubers have officially taken over my dining room and I’m starting to decide what I want to keep and grow this year and what I need to part ways with. If I had unlimited space, I’d keep all of them, but since I live in Cleveland Heights I only have so much room. More cuts will be made this year than previous years, as I want to try to grow dahlias from seeds that I saved last year.
Because of that, some of my extra tubers will end up in the New Member kits or in the DSO tuber sale. If you are a new member, please let me know when you’re planning on picking up your tubers. I’ve added a few dates at my house if you’re unable to make the Petitti’s pick up. If you’re interested in donating your extra tubers to the DSO, I’ll have more details for you later in the newsletter.
April will be a busy month for the DSO, with not only our monthly meeting on the 21st, but the tuber sale begins the same day. We’ll also be having an informal get together at the Winking Lizard on the 27th where we can chat about dahlias in-person. You can find all of the details on our website.
Jess
DSO Tuber Sale
We are accepting donations for the upcoming DSO tuber sale. If you would like to donate, you’ll want to start waking your tubers up to make sure they have eyes.
Tubers will need to be dropped off at a location by April 9th so Tammy can make sure everything is inventoried in advance for the sale.
The following locations are available for drop off.
East side location - Bob Leonelli, Solon
South side location - Lori Chiarappa, Cuyahoga Falls
Central location - Jessica Becker, Cleveland Heights
West side location - Mike Weber, Wellington
Please email info@dahliasocietyofohio.org to get the address/contact information for the location nearest to you.
If you’re unable to make it to a drop off location but still would like to donate tubers, please contact us.
We will be sending out detailed information on how to navigate the website to purchase tubers this year so keep your eyes peeled for that email closer to the date.
Summit Mall Show Updates
The show schedule for the Summit Mall Show is available and can be viewed on our website. Exhibitors should review the Special Awards Section for details. Please note that there will be two competitions in Artistic Design this year - one for Open and a new one for Novice.
Mentorship Program
Thanks to everyone who expressed interest in either being a mentor or being mentored. We will be sending out the pairings later this week. If you’re interested and haven’t contacted us yet, please email info@dahliasocietyofohio.org.
We will do our best to pair you with someone who lives close to you but if a mentor isn’t available we will pair you with someone who is responsive via email/phone to provide answers to any questions you may have.
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: Genna D Thompson
City/Town: Columbus
Tell us a little about yourself: Dermatology nurse for 6 years. Road trips with my husband and dog. Thrifting and up-cycling junk into new uses.
Number of years growing dahlias: 4 years.
How did you get into the world of dahlias? I've always loved dahlias but never took the chance until we bought some from the Worthington Farmers Market a few year's ago!
What is your favorite dahlia to grow? Picasso!
Name: Laura, Sarah, and Scott McDougald
City/Town: Parma
Tell us a little about yourself: We are a Mitchell’s Ice Cream Family. I deliver ice cream for Mitchell’s; my mother, Laura, arranges all the tabletop floral arrangements for Mitchell’s; and my sister, Sarah, helps us grow flowers and herbs for Mitchell’s. We arrange and deliver over 140 tabletop floral arrangements each week to Mitchell’s Ice Cream Shops. Our goal this year is to grow enough flowers to meet our weekly flower demand. We grow dahlias at our friends’ farm Oxbow Orchard and behind Stearn’s Farm in Parma. We plan on planting around 1,000 dahlia tubers this year. When we are not working or tending to flowers, we enjoy fishing at Punderson and Ladue Lakes. We also spend a lot of time walking our English bulldog Sophie!
Number of years growing dahlias: 2 years.
How did you get into the world of dahlias? Our friends Kyla and Beth got us started in dahlias. Their farm, Oxbow Orchard, is located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Kyla asked us to split a bulk dahlia order with her. After our first dahlias bloomed, we were hooked!
What is your favorite dahlia to grow? Seattle.
Social media profiles: Instagram @mcdougaldsflowerfarm
