May 2003 Newsletter
Place: Visitors Center area - Elizabeth Park, West Hartford
Program: Plant Sale
Here’s another opportunity
to pick up some good stock of plants for your dahlia garden. This sale, which we
have run along with the Friends of Elizabeth Park perennial sale for the last
several years, has proven to be very popular. We plan to have 150 or so plants,
mostly AA, A, B and BB size. They will all be of exhibition quality. So if you
did not find that special variety at the root auction, this may be your last
chance to fill in or add to your garden. If you are new to growing dahlias we
will have several of Connecticut’s finest growers on hand to answer questions
for you. Getting off to a good start and having a solid growing strategy will
pay off in huge dividends later in the season.
May is the month when most
dahlia growers are planting both tubers and plants. You can expect plants to
bloom 1 to 2 weeks earlier than tubers. Care should be taken not to be over
zealous with plants though. A late season frost will do in any dahlia plant and
it’s better to be a bit on the conservative side when setting out plants. Tubers
can be given a “head start” by planting them inside in a starting medium a few
weeks before you plan to set them outside.
I
hope that each of you find this growing season to be fun and exciting. So get
out there and enjoy this fabulous hobby.
Jesse Peterson, CDS
President
Display Garden
News
The
society will once again maintain the Dahlia Display Garden at Elizabeth Park.
Volunteers are always needed. If you would like to volunteer please contact me
by e-mail at jessepj@aol.com or phone
860-485-0326. It is highly advantageous to have someone work the garden each day
during the growing season.
Jesse
Peterson
“ZORRO”
IS MY FAVORITE DAHLIA
The
very first experience I ever had with the joy of dahlias was a gift of them from
the garden of Dave Crockett. Needless to say I was enthralled and attended the
CDS show that year with great appreciation and awe.
Becoming
a member and having as my new venture that next season, dahlias in my garden
proved that even amateurs can accomplish beauty in bloom.
I
had only six plants but outstanding was ZORRO; fully 11” across even without
topping or pinching! My garden now
features mostly dahlias and I can enjoy them in arrangements and by giving away
my own blooms with ZORRO my pride.
Thank you, Dave.
Marilyn
Wardell