Everything Grows

In 1964, our family moved to the Wenatchee Valley. My dad, Tony DeRooy, had just been hired as the first Landcape Supervisor at Rocky Reach Dam. Prior to that, he had worked for the Great Northern Railroad as the third of only three (ever) Superintendents of Parks. He had followed in the footsteps of my grandfather, Arie DeRooy, who had the position from 1934 until his death at Many Glacier Lodge on August 8, 1951. Growing plants, flowers and children was their life work. Anyone who knew these men, as well as the women who have stood faithfully by (thanks, Mom!) recognized their passion. This blog will be concerned mainly with dahlia and garden thoughts, but will also discuss things that are happening in the beautiful valleys, plains and mountains that we know as North Central Washington.

Sunday, September 1, 2013

ON BEING INSPIRED

Friday afternoon'sADS show attendees had an opportunity to visit Dahlia Hill, in Midland, Michigan. Dahlia Hill is more than a garden - it is a tribute to the pursuit of balance and collaboration that exists between humans and our environment. It is free to the public and maintained completely by volunteers, under the leadership of artist and teacher Charles Breed, a Midland, Michigan treasure. The garden was founded in 1992 by Charles, but it was in 1966 that he first fell in love with the miracle known as the dahlia after planting some tubers that his wife had received for Mother's Day from their daughter. There was no looking back after that, and today Dahlia Hill consists of 8 terraces of around 3000 plants. representing more than 400 varieties of all forms of the dahlia. The story is a fascinating one, and Charles is even more so. I encourage you to find out more about Dahlia Hill by visiting their website at www.dahliahill.org
 Charles Breed, Artist, Teacher and Founder of Dahlia Hill


Looking up at Dahlia Hill

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful in Grand Rapids, with almost 2000 blooms in place. Judging teams fanned out across the hall at Fredrik Meijer Gardens as they evaluated the work of their peers. I was not appointed to a team, although I had volunteered to clerk, but fortunately, the clerk for a team led by Marilyn Walton was unable to attend, so I jumped in to fill that spot. The clerk sheets and the sections were quite different than the ones I was familiar with, and the horticultural sections were not divided by novice, amateur and open categories. We judged the mini-balls, and all growers showed against each other, regardless of their experience level. I was pleased to be asked for my input on several blooms - even though I was clerking at this show, I am now a candidate judge, and really enjoy having an opportunity to practice what I have learned. This is the third national show that I have participated in, and it is always a great experience to be on such teams.

Following the judging and the "box lunch social" that judges and attendees enjoyed, I went on a great tour of Meijer Gardens by tram, enjoying the creative landscape designs, the floral arrays and the sculptures that define the gardens. This garden was a gift to the community by Fredrik Meijer, philanthropist and grocery store magnate from Michigan. It is a wonderful tribute to the human spirit and the innate human drive to express themselves by the production of art and the manipulation of natural resources. If you have never been there, I highly recommend it!
One side of the multi-faceted waterfall in the middle of Meijer Gardens. Although the garden abuts one of the main freeways in Michigan, the sounds of water flowing over the many falls in this feature completely mask the noise of the interstate.

At 3:00 Saturday afternoon, I was fascinated as I listened to John Menzel, dahlia grower and exhibitor from Winkie, in the great outback of Australia. John, hybridizer of such varieties as Winkie Colonel, has learned the hard way to grow dahlias in a parched and blisteringly hot environment. During their 5-month growing season, temperatures exceed 100 degrees fahrenheit for around 45 days, with some of those temps going into the 110s. When the temperature doesn't break the century mark, they are still in the 90s and high eighties. Last year they only had 7 inches of precipitation all year! His solution to this has resulted in champion blooms at shows in more temperate zones across the dahlia growing world. He is quick to say that he is not an expert, but that he only knows what has worked for them. He uses shade cloth and misting systems, but the biggest difference between what most of us in the dahlia world do is how he irrigated. He has developed a strategy that he calls "pulse watering", where he used a principle of frequent but shallow watering, that actually results in a more thorough watering along the shallow horizontal plane of our underground tuber clumps. He waters 6 times each day for just a few minutes, using a drip system. I am not going to go into detail here, but I am getting a copy of his powerpoint presentation to share with my own club, and I know that John is happy to share his experience with any dahlia growers who request it. He can be reached through the Australian Dahlia Society website. His over-riding belief says that "We must remember - dahlias are only human - when they are thirsty, they need a drink! If I am thirsty, I drink - my dahlias have the same needs - we must never allow them to get stressed due to lack of water. They are happier and healthier if they are taken care of on an ongoing basis." He is a remarkable man, and was honored by ADS at the Awards Banquet last night, for his continuing commitment to the improvement of dahlia growing.

All in all, I found myself inspired again and again, by the presenters, my colleagues, the Western Michigan Dahlia Society members and the beauty surrounding me everywhere I looked. ADS Annual Meeting later this morning - hopefully it will rise to the level of inspiring


John Menzel, Australian Dahlia Society, experienced in growing dahlias in extreme heat.
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