Dig on Dahlias

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 n...

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 ou...

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...

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://serena...

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...

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 n...

Joann and Allison discuss what is currently going on in our gardens and how we are adapting to new spaces and new garden challenges. 

Join Joann and Allison chat with Eugene Kenyon and Rosie Cooper-Vert of River's Dahlias in Oregon. We discuss what they are up to on the farm, how they are invovled with their local club and what breeding goals they currently have.  You can find out more about River's Dahlias on their website www.riversdahlias.com and on social media Instagram: @riverswbdahlias Facebook: River's WB Dahlias. 

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 exhi...

Join Joann and Allison interview Marryn of The Farmhouse Flower Farm. Marryn shares with us a bit of her journey starting up a flower farm and how it has transitioned to focusing on dahlias and sweet peas.  Marryn has recently released her book Sweet Pea School: Growing and Arranging the Garden's Most Romantic Blooms. They are also beginning a new adventure in agrotourism remodeling a nearby farmh...

Join Joann and Allison interview Adrienne of Tah-Dahlia! Adrinne is back on the podcast and gives us an update on her meristem and tissue culture experiment with Hapet Old Charm.  You can find her first interview here: https://digondahlias.libsyn.com/ads-nationals-wenatchee-adrienne-with-tah-dahlia To follow Adrienne's dahlia journey, follow her Instagram account @tahdahlia. 

Join Joann and Allison interview Joe Morse of Wood Lily Farm. Joe recently married into a family of dahlia giants and is taking on growing the legacy of his wife's late grandfater Lewis Bloom. Lewis has many introductions under the Bloom prefix that Joe is working hard to find and grow out. Joe didn't stop there and has been on the hunt for nearly lost varieites of the past.  You can find out more...

Join Joann and Allison interview Ellen Frost. Ellen owns a local flower cooperative, Local Color Flowers, shares a weekly newsletter and hosts an online community of growers called FlowerMore. Ellen shares with us how dahlia growers can effectively market themselves to local florists. To find out more about Ellen, visit www.ellenfrost.com or on instagram @ellenfrostflowers. While you're there, don...

Alison is back for a second episode! Join Joann and Allison interview Alison Kutz of Sound Horticulture discuss biological controls for pest and disease managment. She is a wealth of knowledge and always a delight to have on the show. A little of what we cover today includes soil dwelling pests and the symbiotic relationship among plants. To find out more about Sound Horticulture, visit their webs...

Join Joann and Allison interview Emily of Idlewild Blooms discuss how she incorporates data collection into her growing and hybridizing of dahlias to help her more effectively make growing decisions.  You can find out more about Emily and her farm and her data collection system at www.idlewildblooms.com as well as on social media @idlewildblooms. 

Join Joann and Allison interview Anne Maria of the Dahlia Legacy Project (DLP). Anne Maria shares with us all about the purpose of the DLP and all the exciting things they are doing. You can find out more about the DLP online at https://www.legacy.nwdahlia.org or on Instagram @the_dahlia_legacy_project.  The DLP is hosting a "Once-In-A-Decade" tuber sale starting April 28th! Find out more online....

Join Joann and Allison interview Steve and Sandy Boley of Birch Bay Dahlias. Steve and Sandy share what they consider important when you are planning your garden specifically for hybridizing.  Steve and Sandy have a wealth of information available on their website www. BirchBayDahlias.com . They are reciepients of a long list of dahlia cultivar awards and acknowledgments from the American Dahlia S...

Join Joann and Allison talk about how to grow dahlias from seed. You can find a detailed print out of the dahlia seed starting process here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62884bb9e41b241b62679f29/t/677df188a1c802279d2a20e8/1736307084881/How+to+Grow+Dahlias+from+Seed-2.pdf

Join Joann and Allison interview Blake and Thomas of North Cascade Dahlias share how they are are growing and managing 50,000 dahlias and an additional 4,500 first year seedlings on five acres continuing the Bloomquist dahlia line. Listen in for a sneak peak into Thomas' new line of dahlias and details on their upcoming spring sale.  You can find out more information about North Cascade Dahlias on...

Join Joann and Allison interview Christine of Misfit Dahlias. The three of us discuss Christine's upcoming sale that includes her very first dahlia introduction, Misfit Kaleidoscope, how she is selling for several local hybridiziers and some discussion around the current dahlia market.  To find out more about Christine and what she is up to, head over to her website www.misfitdahlias.com or follow...

Join Joann and Allison discuss the results of a social media post about what buyers want from dahlia stores. What is important to us as buyers and how we can collectively make it easier for people to tuber shop with confidence. 

Join Joann and I discuss our experiences with buying dahlia tubers and cuttings online and how it doesn't always go as planned. Following this episode, The Dig on Dahlias podcast is taking a winter break. We will be back for Season 2 in January 2025. Thank you for spending the year with us. We wish you a wonderful holiday season! 

Join Joann and Allison interview Jenica with Dahlias 4 DIPG. Following the loss of their son, Levi, Jenica and her family started this dahlia business as a way to raise funds and awarness for childhood cancer. Come listen to all the awesome things they are doing for families walking through the same journey.  You can reach out to the Levi's Legacy team and find out more about Dahlias 4 DIPG on Fac...

Join Joann and Allison talk about how they have been digging and dividing their dahlias. We discuss some of the things we did differently this year and how they worked out in our gardens. 

Join Joann and Allison interview Adrienne of Tah-Dahlia! at the ADS National show in Wenatchee, WA.  Adrienne shares with us how she grows dahlias in Colorado's challenging climate as well as an exciting collaboration with a local potato grower to do tissue culture with a special dahlia.  Find about more about Adrienne and her beautiful flowers on instagram at @Tah-Dahlia!.