Taking Mum to the Dahlia Show

/ karen

Regular readers will know that Mum and I spend every Sunday visiting gardens -especially NGS gardens raising money for charity. But this week – we had a change in our routine, we visited a dahlia show.

We marvelled over the blousy, dinner plate- size flowers. None were nibbled by slugs or dashed by the weather, like mine have been.

We loved these huge white flowers, Kenora Challenger. They won the prize for best exhibit in show. They were literally perfect.

Here’s a slide show of our favourites. I loved this coral pink cactus dahlia.

Mum loved this single ruby collarette-type dahlia called Mills Purple Velvet.

My favourite was this small cactus dahlia with needle-like petals. Such a pretty delicate pink.

The show by Leicestershire Dahlia Society was held at Palmers Plant Nursery in Enderby. Mum and I have signed up for more information and will go along to talks and events to find out more. And in November there’s an event where members sell off their spare tubers. I’ve earmarked a few for my cut flower patch.

Best of all- at the end of the show, the flowers were sold off in an auction. I came home with armfuls for my MIL Joan. All her window ledges are now bursting with colour. Happy memories of when my dear Father-in-law had an allotment full of cut flowers- dahlias and chrysanthemums – and regularly came home with an array of first prize awards.

Have you attended -or entered any produce or flowers in any shows this year? I’d love to know how you got on.

45 thoughts on “Taking Mum to the Dahlia Show”

  2. What absolutely fabulous exhibits Karen! I’ve not entered anything in a show for years but still enjoy visiting shows and admiring plants and produce. I hope that you manage to get hold of some tubers later in the year.

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    • It was a fab day out, and we were so pleased to find the members keen to share expert tips and hints on growing dahlias. The offer of prize winning tubers was very generous indeed. We are looking forward to going along to talks and other events. Our new winter hobby 😉 x

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  3. Wonderful pictures from what looks an impressive show. What a good idea to make some tubers for sale to the public, I will expect to see you among the prize winners next year. I published my efforts at showing Dahlias in my last blog!

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    • Thank you Brian. I’ll do my best. Thanks as always for reading and getting in touch. I thought your flowers looked really beautiful. A testament to all the hard work put in there. All the best. Karen

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    • Thank you for your kind words Cathy. Good luck with your wedding flowers. I did my nieces wedding flowers year before last, and also my daughter’s best friend’s wedding. A lot of work, but wonderful to be a part of their big day.

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  5. Karen what a beautiful photo and what a wonder of Dalias. I love them all: they are all divine and perfect and the colors magnificent. I like the Dalias cactus in particular. I am glad that your Mother and you had a great time. Many thanks Karen for the ride with the magnificent photos for the event of Dalias: it has been as if I were there. I am glad that you have taken some Dahlias. Have a very good week, your Mother and you. Greetings from Margarita.

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    • Thank you so much Margarita. I always smile when I see your lovely comments. My Mum had a super day out, and my inlaws loved the vases full of flowers we put in every window to greet visitors to their house. Have a lovely week too. Greetings from Karen, and Mum xx

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    • We were very pleased when they sold the flowers at the end of the day. Much better than throwing them away. And they went to a good home. Thanks for reading and for your kind comments. Hope you are enjoying your week. Love karen x

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    • Hi Gill, We had a great day out. Learned so much. Honestly those dahlias were blooming massive. Fascinating learning all the tricks of the trade. They were so generous with their advice on how to get flowers to prize-winning standards. Might have a go myself next year. Hope you are having a good week. I’m not looking forward to the storm tonight. Battening down the potting shed hatches. Love karen x

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      • I think you should enter next year, you never know what might happen! I am just about to go out to yoga, it is tipping down and really windy, but I will go, I will go, I will go …… and meditate on the nice glass of red waiting for me when I get home. You have fun too xxx

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    • He is. But sadly unable to walk now. Such a shame as he was such a fantastic gardener. The whole family is working together to keep their garden looking tip top and colourful. So hoping they can live out the remaining time they have in their own home. We are all doing what we can to make it so.

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    • Thank you for reading the blog and for your kind comments. I only use a camera phone, so photos are just quick snapshots of my daily life. Yes, I too can remember when dahlias went out of fashion. I’ve always loved them. They give such a lot of colour at the end of summer- just when we need a bit of cheering up. My favourites are the mini cactus type. They look so pretty with cosmos and sweet peas. Thanks again for getting in touch. All the best. Karen

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  12. Lovely post and pictures. They are wonderful flowers but I must confess that they’re not among my favourites. I like the smaller ones and pastel shades rather than the big, colourful ones. I have grown them occasionally but as always a lack of space is a problem.
    As you know I entered various items in my local show, of which the cosmos was perhaps the most pleasing win. xx

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    • Thank you for reading the blog and getting in touch. Your kind comments have made my day. I only have a camera phone, but it just gives a quick snapshot of daily life, as I always have it in my pocket. Hope you are having a lovely week. All the best. Karen

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  15. Lovely blog and pictures, I especially love the single dahlias and try and grow some in containers so I can easily move them to the greenhouse for winter but have several that haven’t flowered for a few years now and I’m unsure what I’m doing wrong. X

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    • Thank you so much Wendy. I’ll ask the dahlia society and see what they say. I have a feeling they have to be cold over the winter. But frost free. Mine didn’t flower when I put them in my greenhouse as they were too warm over the winter. Will let you know if I find anything out. Thanks again for reading .

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  18. I’m a show judge next week! Lovely blooms – my dad used to help organise the dahlia and chrysanthemum show where he worked. I reckon that’s why dahlias never went out of fashion for me 🙂

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    • They have never been out of fashion for me either. I can remember my father in laws prize winning allotment flowers. Also the garden we are now looking after for them used to be split in half with flowers all the way to the bottom of the garden. So sad – as you know the situation for them now. I wished you could have seen my MIL’s face when I took armfuls of dahlias in for all the window ledges. Cheers up the house for all the carers and nurses who are coming and going every day now. Love karen xx

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