The Connecticut Dahlia Society               

                                          March 2006

                                           Newsletter

 

 

 

Meeting Date: Saturday, March 11, 2006

Time:                 7:30 p.m.

                           Finance Committee to meet at 4:30 p.m.

                           Root Auction Committee to meet at 6:30 

Place:                Thomaston Savings Bank, 985 Watertown Avenue, Waterbury, CT

Program:            Bylaws, Finance and Root Auction Format                

 

 

President’s Message

 

Well, the weather won out on us on the scheduled February Meeting date and forced us to cancel the meeting!  Now for our March Meeting we have some catching up to do with our committee meetings.

 

The Root Auction is our largest source of income and our Committee will set a format that will allow us to sell varieties in large supply at set prices and also move our auctioned varieties at a faster pace.  Our Annual Root Auction will be held at the Pond House in Elizabeth Park on April 23rd, beginning at 12:00 Noon.  Set-up will begin at 10:00 a.m. From reports of many members, their roots this year do not appear to be up to par, some feel that the intense heat with many days over 90 degrees this past summer may be to blame.   We therefore believe that there is  a big demand to purchase replacements.

 

We look forward to your attendance and participation at this meeting, so please try to attend as your ideas will be welcome. Remember to visit our website: www.connecticutdahlia.com

 

Marge Schnerr, President

 

 

Meeting Dates for 2006

 

April 23rd.      Root Auction. Pond House, Elizabeth Park, Hartford      If weather conditions are

                      10:00 a.m.-Noon Set-up, 12:00 Noon, Auction Begins    questionable on the evening

May 20th.       Sale of Roots at Elizabeth Park, 9:00 a.m.                       of a Meeting Date, call

June 10th.       Thomaston Bank, 7:30 p.m.                                             Marge at (203) 758-4685

June 23-25     Rose Weekend at Elizabeth Park                                     or by e-mail after 3:00p.m.

July 9th.          Annual Picnic, Wooten Residence, Fairfield                   mrschnerr@sbcglobal.net

August 26th.   48th. Annual Show of the CDS, Elizabeth Park               to check on the status                       

Sept. 5th.        Judges Refresher Course, 7:00 p.m. Thomaston Bank

Oct. 14th.       Thomaston Savings Bank, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 11th.      Thomaston Bank, 7:30 Election of Officers

Dec. 2nd.        Christmas Party, Jasonis Residence, Winsted

 

Connecticut Master Gardener Association Annual Symposium on March 18th.

 

Kevin and Marge will represent the CDS at this event this year at the Manchester Community College.  An invitation has been extended to us by the Association in an effort by them to support the various plant societies in Connecticut.  If you are interested in attending this event contact Becky, Marge, or Kevin for further information.

 

 

CDS Judge’s Informtion

 

First, congratulations to Jon Wooten for recently completing his requirements to become an Accredited Judge!  Secondly, it has been 5 years since the majority of our judges have taken their required Judge’s Exam.  At this March Meeting we will discuss possible dates and then select a date for when the re-testing will be given this year.

Text Box: The fact is that we all share a passion for dahlias. Last year I wrote a series of articles for the Shoreline Times newspapers, which featured information on the plant’s background, herbal uses, origins and offering growing advice. Knowing you are the experts in cultivating our favorite subject, I thought I’d offer some interesting history. Dahlias are named after a Swedish botanist, Andreas Dahl (d.1789) who was a pupil of Linnaeus, the father of botanical nomenclature. The many garden cultivars of the Dahlia are the result of the crossing of two parent plants Dahlia coccinea and D. pinnata. Dahlias were an important crop for the Aztecs who grew it for an animal fodder and also as a medicine. They treated urinary disorders with a decoction of the tubers – their name for Dahlias was cocoxochiti, meaning water pipes. The Doctrine of Signatures also used this plant for urinary disease. Becky Paul, Editor

 

Dahlia 'Arabian Knights'              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dahlia ‘Alstergruss’
 

Dahlia ‘David Howard’