John Armstong: Dahlia and Gladiola Expert

May's guest speaker will be John Armstrong
Growing  Dahlia Culture And Cultivation

Gardeners from many countries have chosen to grace their homes, landscapes, and garden plots with dahlias, one of the longest blooming flowers in cultivation. No doubt, many reasons exist for their choice. While many grow dahlias solely as a decorative planting, others are more interested in artistic arrangement and cut flowers. For decorative landscaping; they may use them as focal points in the home garden where they may select a plant that possesses a huge bloom, 12 inches or more in diameter, and thereby create a conversation piece. Still, others may concentrate on border plantings (12 inches or so in height) or mass planting of one variety for a special effect. Some find additional uses by using the dahlia for screens where the selected variety is crucial. The landscaping potential is great and the few above examples serve mainly to pique the imagination. In one home garden, the gardener has successfully groomed a small growing dahlia waterlily formation to cascade to the ground near his pool. The number of possibilities abounds including patio dahlias that are specially grown in ornamental troughs, pots, and tubs.

Also check out the The American Dahlia Society on web.