ON COSMIC COLLISIONS AND REASSURING HUGS

Most of you know that I attended the ADS National Show in Grand Rapids, Michigan over the weekend. I actually arrived a few days before the show, and ended up being in Michigan for a week. During the time that I was away, my dahlias didn't seem to understand that, since I won't be there to tend them, they should just enter a period of dormancy and self-sufficiency until I return. They should not respond to wind by falling down or snapping off, they should not continue to produce buds, and of course, they should not pop their centers open, or dry up. Those umbrellas I put up in the demonstration garden should not blow backwards in the storm, and the lean-to shade-cloth I had on the southwestern side of my raised beds should not twist and skew in blustery conditions.  I should just be able to come home, look out the window and see a perfect garden, full of blooms that will be ready just in time for this weekend's show in Whatcom County, right?

WRONG! I came home, as many of the other attendees did, to a couple days worth of  rehabilitation and rescue attempts. I finally finished my home garden this morning, and will go over to the 4 rows at the demonstration garden a bit later. No matter what we do, we all know that time waits for no man, (or woman) and the promise of the dahlia garden is that we will never run out of opportunities to commune with nature, due to the tenacious and persistent nature of informal dec, semi cacs, mignon singles and the other 15 forms represented by the dahlia.

But don't think that I am complaining....in the past, I have written about the joy I feel when I put my arms around my dahlias in order to tie them up. Yesterday and today, I had the opportunity to do this time and again, as I snugged them up to the stakes, securing them against the hailstorm that is promised for later today. Gathering the many stalks and flowers into an armload of  sweet-smelling green was nothing short of an embrace.  Gently but firmly tying them to each stabilizing mast was my way of reassuring them that I am still here to make sure they have what they need to continue to grow and bring joy.

If you ever have the chance to attend a National Show, I highly recommend it. In spite of the fact that you will have a boatload of work to do when you get home, and even though you may even lose a stalk or two to the four winds, the experience is worth it. The flowers were phenomenal, and the people were amazing. The opportunity to interface and interact with dahlia growers and exhibitors from the US and beyond is of immeasurable value to anyone interested in learning more about dahlia culture. The first National Show I ever attended was in my hometown of Everett, Washington, back in 2009. That weekend, I had the honor of clerking for a great team of judges in the Stellar class. At that time, I wasn't sure I really liked the stellar form much (although now it is one of my favorites!) but having the experience of listening to the judges taught me so much - the perspective they bring to this task is rich with expertise and vision, and working alongside them is the best possible way for me to benefit from the spill-over of this knowledge.

How many times in your life do you get to collide with the stars and embrace the earth all in the same week? Next year's show will be in Tacoma, Washington, the home of the Point Defiance Trial Gardens. I guarantee that you will have the opportunity to interact with some of the greatest dahlia visionaries on the planet, and while doing so, will also discover some darn nice people. When you meet them at the beginning of the show, you will shake hands and talk dahlias. If you work with them on a judging team, you will have the chance to discuss the finer points of dahlia ideals. And you say goodbye at the end of the show, chances are that you will find yourself hugged. You will go home with a bucket full of embraces, which you will then pass on to the babies in your garden, as you collect the maverick stalks to tie back to the stake. And it will be very good.....