When people ask me about dahlias, one thing I almost invariably hear is "Dahlias - aren't they a lot of work?" My answer is designed to validate their assumption, yet open up their horizons. I assure them that once a person starts growing them, the little routines just kind of fall into place, and it doesn't seem any more daunting than managing the roses or keeping up the yard. Sometimes this gives me just enough daylight to slip a tuber, seeds or cutting into the uncertain grasp of aspiring growers. Hey, I've snagged at least one or two reluctant but curious people, who have risen to the point that they became active members of a dahlia society - not bad, if I say so myself!
The fact is that yes, growing dahlias is a commitment, but it is definitely doable, and even qualifies as exciting at times. With the end of our dahlia season, which usually comes aroung mid-November, when we finally get the last of the tubers to bed for the winter, most of us take a bit of a breather, only occasionally dabbling in dahliaculture, such as harvesting seed from the dry pods we have in brown paper bags, re-reading articles in the bulletin, buying clearance-priced shadecloth, or drooling over tubers we might buy when the dahlia houses start taking orders. But by comparison with the frenzy of show season, this break in the momentum helps us recharge our batteries and get a much needed tuneup in order to be ready for the new season.
Well, I think I can officially say that the time is up! Back to work, hitting the ground running, we held our first show committee meeting yesterday. We learned so much in putting on our 2011 show, and hopefully this will translate to a smoother and better organized effort in 2012. Our goal is to divide the major responsibilities among the six members of our committee and any other club members who want to be in charge of one of the many aspects of getting it done. With 21 members this year, we are bigger than ever - it's hard to believe that only 5 years ago, we had 11 or 12 members. It had come to the point, following Dad's passing in 2006, where it didn't look like our club would be able to continue to exist. But this organization and the support we gain from working together was unwilling to just die - little by little, our membership reached out, and extended themselves and their labors, strengthening and stretching our dahlia muscles. Then, a few years ago, Sherry Anderson brought us the idea of becoming associate members of the Northwest Federation (NWF) of Dahlia Growers. I'm not sure that we understood at that time just what kind of impact this would have on our future as a club, but we joined in order to have a relationship that would enable us to have trained judges for our shows. We soon discovered that the NWF was so much more than a source for judges - the knowledge that exists within the minds of the members, the opportunities for networking in order to improve our gardens and share resources and ideas, the workshops and training available to our membership, and the warm relationships we have developed over the past two plus years - this is the true treasure that we have discovered in affiliating with NWF.
In the past two days I have been contacted by two different sources that our club has become acquainted with through the Federation, offering to come over to Wenatchee to lead workshops in areas where we need to develop more skills and understanding. It looks like we will have a March workshop that will help us expand our understanding as growers, and in July, we should have something that will teach us more about staging and competing in shows. I should have more details after our club meeting on Thursday, but I just wanted to say how wonderful it is that these people have reached out to us, offering mentorship and support that can only make us stronger. It really warms the heart on the frigid January days....
So there is lots to do - yeah, maybe it is work, but it is the kind of work that is so much fun! On Sunday night at the Golden Globes, Morgan Freeman was honored for his lifetime of work. One of the things he reminded us of was that "If you find something that you love to do, and are lucky enough to be able to do it for a living, you will never work a day in your life...." or something like that. Even though most of us do not grow dahlias "for a living", I think a lot of us do it because it gives us so much life! I'm remembering Bill Bonneywell, a dear friend to so many of us, who passed away just before Christmas. Bill grew and originated some wonderful dahlias, and he was an inspiration to so many of us. He left an incredible legacy behind, and he personified the "life" that dahlia growing can engender, even as he was fighting the illness that finally took him. We are all the richer for having known him, and I'm pretty sure that he and my dad are somewhere in Heaven, creating new blooms and scoping out the good dirt - spreading beauty and joy wherever they are.
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