When I moved into my house about nine years ago, the flower beds were a blank canvas. They were spacious and covered in mulch, but void of any flowers. I took this as an invitation to create my own vision.
I spend my days at Ideastream directing arts and culture coverage of Northeast Ohio, and gardening is my artistic outlet after work.
To start my home gardens, I gladly accepted some perennials from family, such as irises and sedum. I also purchased some familiar ones like lavender and roses. But the heart of my flower beds is now the collection of more than 70 dahlias, inspired by a garden visit during a trip to Maine.
While driving through Northeast Harbor, about 20 minutes southwest of Bar Harbor, I saw a non-descript sign for a place called Thuya Garden, turned around the car, and minutes later I was walking up a hill to what seemed like a private space in the woods. It turned out Thuya Garden was open to the public. A few steps past the wooden gate at the entrance, the gardens were in full bloom, with gorgeous dahlias of every hue. I was so struck by their beauty that I later decided I’d plant some of my own.
The first year I ordered about a dozen tubers in three different shades from a catalogue my neighbor shared with me. It turned out he was a dahlia fan as well. Most of them blossomed until the first hard frost, and then I dug up the dahlia tubers, wrapped them in newspapers and stored them in shoeboxes in the basement for the winter. This is what’s required of dahlia growers in the Northeast if you want these natives of Mexico and South America to bloom here.
Over the past several years, my collection has grown both from purchasing new varieties and dividing existing ones in the off season. Little did I know on that Maine garden visit a hobby would be born.
But you don’t have to travel 900 miles to appreciate the beauty of dahlias. In fact, a great place to admire all of the many different colors and types of dahlias is inside the Flower Building at the Great Geauga County Fair. Be sure to visit on Saturday, Sunday or Monday as other flowers are on view before then.
The last two years I competed in the fair's dahlia contest and met growers from all around the region. I saw varieties there that make me want to carve out some more flower beds in my yard (those 70-some dahlias I already have claim a lot of the existing real estate).
There's also a group for enthusiasts, the Dahlia Society of Ohio, which hosts an annual show at the Summit Mall in Akron in September. I'm hoping to attend this year.
In the meantime, I’ll be exercising my creativity making bouquets with this year’s blooms, appreciating the fruits of my labor outside.
"The Cut" is featured in Ideastream Public Media's weekly newsletter, The Frequency Week in Review. To get The Frequency Week in Review, The Daily Frequency or any of our newsletters, sign up on Ideastream's newsletter subscription page.
