Showtime for ‘dazzling dahlias’

Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 18, 2018

Even this hot, dry and smoky summer hasn’t made dahlias any less stunning.

Come see for yourself this weekend.

About 2,000 blooms will be on display at the Snohomish County Dahlia Society’s 109th show, set for Aug. 18 and 19 at Floral Hall in Everett’s Forest Park.

The free two-day event — co-sponsored by the Everett Parks Department and open to dahlia enthusiasts and newcomers alike — is part of the annual Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers’ competition for members from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

Dahlias, Mexico’s national flower, are summer bloomers known for their bright colors and varying sizes and shapes, and can be cultivated and hybridized.

“We call them ‘dazzling dahlias,’ ” said Alli Richards, first-year president of the Snohomish County Dahlia Society, which encourages and educates people interested in growing dahlias for private gardens and shows.

Divisions include novice, amateur and open. Dahlia growers 16 and younger can also compete in a juniors division.

The best of the three divisions compete for Best of Show in single bloom, triple bloom and five bloom classes in baskets and artistic arrangements.

Because of the hot weather, dahlias with florets haven’t been able to stay fully curled, as they’re supposed to. They can also wilt from too much sun. Some growers shield them from the heat, but not all. Judges will take that into consideration when awarding prizes to the best blooms.

Richards said the atmosphere is lightly competitive at the show. She said the unofficial motto among growers is “Family, friends, flowers.”

If flowers always came first, it might not be as friendly.

“We get along with everybody,” Richards said. “But when you get to the head table, and there are big awards and you say, ‘Well, why was this one picked over mine?’ People have their feelings hurt because you put a lot of effort into this.”

The dahlias are scored based on quality of color, bloom position, foliage, display, substance and stem. Every variety has its own criteria to meet to earn points. A perfect score is 100 points; hybrids that score 85 points or more can be officially named and added to the American Dahlia Society’s classification book.

In all, more than 100 awards are up for grabs, including six Best of Show awards.

Richards, 47, is competing in the amateur division, which denotes growers who display dahlias at more than 10 events a year, and will also judge.

The Everett resident has about 105 dahlias in her garden, including pompon dahlias — globe-shaped flowers with in-curving florets — and a prolific bloomer called mignon singles, which can be grown in containers or as border plants. She’s a fan of dahlias because they’re stunning, versatile and can grow in anyone’s garden.

“Little Beeswings” is one of nine varieties of pompom dahlias that Richards grows. The yellow and orangish-red heirloom happened to be first introduced in 1909, when the Snohomish County Dahlia Society was founded.

She doesn’t haven’t a favorite variety, but her favorite form of dahlias are pompons.

“These are what I remember from my grandparents when I was a little girl,” Richards said. “That’s really what got me back into it.”

Steve Santose, 64, of Lake Stevens, has been a member of the Snohomish County Dahlia Society since he was 17. He’s been a competitor and judge for the show for the past 40 years, winning Best of Show about five times.

His fascination with dahlias goes way back to when a neighbor’s dazzling dahlias caught his eye. He was just 13 years old.

Santose started growing his own not long after, eventually entering them in shows.

“When I finally got my driver’s license, I started going up to the Evergreen State Fair and started showing my dahlias,” Santose said. “The dahlia people saw me up there and invited me to come to the dahlia meetings. I did, and I’ve been coming ever since.”

His favorite dahlia is the “Edna C,” introduced in 1968 by a California grower. All but one of his Best of Show prizes have been for that variety.

“It’s yellow, and yellow dahlias are really good show dahlias,” Santose said. “They’re also a formal decorative dahlia. The petals lay flat, like shingles on a roof. It’s kind of unique looking. It’s pretty incredible.”

He looks forward to the show every year. He likes seeing growers introduce new varieties to be added to the classification book. He said it’s also where budding growers can learn trade secrets from Snohomish County Dahlia Society members.

“The Snohomish (County) club is a real down-to-earth club,” he said. “The members really work to nurture new members and share information, so they can become successful growing flowers.”

Evan Thompson: 360-544-2999, ethompson @heraldnet.com. Twitter: @evanthompson_1.

If you go

What: Snohomish County Dahlia Society Show

Where: Floral Hall in Forest Park, 802 E. Mukilteo Blvd., Everett

When: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

More: www.scdahlias.com

Want to join the club?

Snohomish County Dahlia Society meetings are 7 p.m. the second Monday of the month at Lions Hall in Forest Park, 802 E. Mukilteo Blvd., Everett. Around January, meetings will move to the second Thursday of the month at Legion Hall in Legion Memorial Park, 145 Alverson Blvd., Everett.

A yearlong membership is $12.50. Become a member at the show and receive a $12 coupon for tubers.