March Digest 2025
Dear Dahlia Friends,
Happy March! Please read below for a note from our president as well as information about upcoming meetings and events.
Meg
If you'd like to be featured in future issues of the Digest please email me at digest@dahliasocietyofohio.org.
A Note From Our President
It was wonderful to see many of you at our last monthly meeting and seed swap—it really has me excited to kick off this season! In addition to dahlias, I grow other flowers, so this past week I started some of my spring blooms in my grow tent. It felt great to get things planted, especially my second favorite flower—sweet peas. I also got some tubers out to start taking cuttings from my favorite varieties for this year. My setup is similar to the one in this video, and I can fit just over 100 tubers in my tub for cuttings.
I’d also like to take a moment to welcome Pat Sadataki as our new Vice President and Kat Amrhein as our new Secretary for 2025. I'm so grateful they’ve volunteered to support the DSO. If you're interested in volunteering, please don't hesitate to reach out. We’ll need help with our tuber sale and other events throughout the year.
Jess
Question of the Month
It's time to hear from our members who answered the question of the month! This month we asked you when you make a dahlia bouquet, what else do you like to add to the arrangement - greens, other types of flowers ect?
Zinnas and gladiolus
Hydrangeas
I’m planing to grow begonias in ring pots along the deck posts above my dahlias.
I have a lot of hydrangeas, so I use those plus salvia, phlox, foxtail ferns and kimberly queen fern.
Baptisia
Zinnias, Hydrangea, Hostas, Ferns, St John's Wart, and Hops
I love adding phlox!
Membership Renewals
It’s that time of the year again to renew your membership. If you joined after 9/2024 then you don’t need to renew (your membership will be good until March of 2025). A reminder that you do need to be a member to shop our tuber/plant sales.
You can renew your membership online at: https://www.dahliasocietyofohio.org/shop/p/memberships-n349c
We also are not selling American Dahlia Society memberships through our website this year.
You can purchase your ADS membership via their website at: https://www.dahlia.org/about/membership-join/join-ads-and-pay-with-paypal/
Tuber Donations
If you have extra tubers that you’d like to donate to the DSO tuber sale, please reach out to Milli at social@dahliasocietyofohio.org. She’ll help to coordinate tuber pick up for the 2025 season.
We will have drop off locations throughout NE Ohio. Tubers must have a visible eye for us to use them at the sale.
ADS National Show
The American Dahlia Society National Show will be hosted by the Central States Dahlia Society in Northbrook, IL on Sept. 18-22, 2025.
For more details, you can visit their website at:
https://www.centralstatesdahliasociety.com/2025
Member Spotlight!
Name: Robert Fackovec
City/Town: Long Island, NY
Tell us a little about yourself (occupation, hobbies ect): I am a retired electrician and I live in Massapequa Park, Long Island, New York. It is a suburb of New York City with a county(Nassau) population of about two(2) million people. The ocean is only about five(5) miles south of us which moderates our yearly temperatures(planting zone 7b). I am the garden director for the Mid Island Dahlia Societies two(2) dahlia display gardens of about 250 plants per garden. I am also the American Dahlia Society Regional Vice President for the North Atlantic Conference. In addition to gardening and growing dahlias I like salt and freshwater fishing.
Number of years growing dahlias: I have been growing dahlias for over thirty(30)years. My enjoyment and continuing learning about them has expanded over the years. I am now a member of the Mid Island Dahlia Society (MIDS), the Long Island Dahlia Society(LIDS) and the Dahlia Society of Ohio (DSO). I was introduced to DSO through my interaction with Tony Evangelista and Jessica Becker. Their wealth of knowledge, talent and experience reflects the DSO membership as an entirety.
How did you get into the world of dahlias? It was just by chance as I saw an article in the newspaper about them. A MIDS member gave the interview which included some color pictures of dahlias and contact information. I decided to check it out and i have been involved ever since.
What is your favorite dahlia to grow? One of my favorites to grow is Brookside Snowball (BB - FD - W). My favorite overall dahlias to grow are the Collarettes. Their colors and color combinations are amazing and the bees and butterflies love them.