It is August in North Central Washington, and that means searing hot afternoons, persistent winds, and from time to time, particles of ash raining down from the latest forest fire. This week’s fire has been burning just past Leavenworth, in the area we refer to as the “Upper Valley”, in the Tumwater Canyon, along Highway 2. Funny, just a couple weeks ago, I was struck by how beautiful the canyon was looking, with swollen rapids from uncharacteristically late summer snowmelt. We'd had a huge fire in Tumwater in 1994, which scorched thousands of acres of hillside and forest, leaving nothing but black earth and skeletal remnants of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, maple and cottonwood trees. While the forest hasn’t regenerated to its pre-1994 status, the hills rising from the rushing river canyon are once again lush, green and teeming with life. It has been good to see, but now, nature is once again cycling from life to death, with a promise of rebirth.
Summer around the entire state of Washington has been late, and here in NCW, it has especially been a challenge to stay ahead of the elements of nature – the winds have challenged the growth of the dahlia bushes, making some stronger if victorious, and others bent strangely, like tentacles, if defeated. Rains were helpful during June and into July, but now we are dependent on the irrigation systems that we have devised, but are rarely happy with. My garden at home is watered with the rest of the yard, except that I hand water, usually once a day, in the areas that seem to always be missed by the overhead sprinkler. Our soils are varied, depending on our location in NCW, with those east of the Columbia River working in sand, and in Wenatchee, a mixture of clay, rock or even hardpan, depending on the proximity to the foothills. We ARE in a desert, and we cannot forget that. Summer afternoon sun is merciless at times, drying the soil to dust and fading the reds, purples and wines of the dahlia blooms. When to water, when to fertilize, when to cut – all of these decisions are made carefully, and experimentally – we never know for sure what works best until we try different ways, and compare the outcomes. Then there are the weeds – so hardy that the battle is constantly on to see whether we will be able to cultivate alongside the fauna that seems indestructible, always prevailing, no matter what battle strategies we may devise.
All in all, we have had a remarkable level of success, in spite of everything. Here in NCW, all our dahlia society members are Novice growers and exhibitors, although some are more experienced and successful than others. I’ve managed to have a few very nice plants with good flowers, and have learned something about what grows well, where seems to be best, and what has contributed to the success. I need to stop comparing myself and our NCW gardens to the ones I grew up with, and which I visit when I go over to Western Washington. I was in Everett, for the Snohomish County Dahlis Society show on Saturday, and as I was preparing my traumatized blooms for entry, I was struck by a sense of unworthiness as a grower. I soon talked myself out of that self-pity, however, and determined to enter, in spite of everything, and learn from it. My dad was able to grow some beautiful flowers over here, in spite of the challenges, and I think, with time and experience, I should be able to do the same. I love that I had him as a model of competency in dahlia-cultivation, and need to remember that it took him many more years than I’ve been growing to perfect the craft of dahlia husbandry and hybridizing. I will get better as I learn more lessons.
One thing that never changes is the joy I feel when I see these beautiful and majestic blooms rise from the dirt, or when I create bouquets to share with others, like my sister Kathy, who has been in the hospital for several days. Eyes light up, people gasp and are amazed by the glory of the color and forms represented. I mean, how cool is that? If I am invited to a dance, isn’t this just the dance I love the best? Let the music of the elements play on as I follow the footprints beneath me…….
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