On a blistering Thursday afternoon at The Gardens at Lake Merritt, Chris Dix and Curtis Maxwell are busy caring for their vibrant dahlia plants.
Both growers are longstanding members of the San Leandro Dahlia Society and are diligently preparing for their upcoming competition show, which will take place at the Lakeside Park Garden Center over the weekend of August 30 and 31.
Dix’s journey with dahlias began 30 years ago when he purchased his first plant while shopping for bedding plants for his vegetable garden.
Maxwell, on the other hand, has been nurturing these flowers for 40 years after discovering an advertisement for dahlia tubers in Sunset magazine from the San Francisco Dahlia Society.
The duo frequents the garden several times a week, tending to rows of colorful dahlias that include shades of yellow, purple, pink, orange, and white.
Their work draws the attention of locals and visitors exploring the surrounding grounds, which also feature a serene Bonsai Garden.
Dix explains that the San Leandro Dahlia Society operates primarily on volunteer efforts, receiving no funding from the city.
Annually, the society spends approximately $500 to $600 on necessary materials such as soil, fertilizer, stakes, and barricades to keep visitors from cutting the flowers.
Each dahlia plant in the garden is carefully labeled with its unique name, many of which hold personal significance.
For instance, Olivia Maureen is named after Dix’s daughter, while Verda honors Maxwell’s mother. Maya Zoe is dedicated to Maxwell’s youngest granddaughter.
What makes these dahlias particularly special is that Dix and Maxwell have bred new varieties by cross-pollinating the flowers.
“We let the bees do the work, sunrise and sunset, seven days a week,” Maxwell said.
While some growers choose to hand-pollinate, which can be effective but time-consuming, the duo prefers to let nature take its course.
To qualify for a unique name, a new dahlia variety must bloom continuously for three years.
After that period, it can be judged by the American Dahlia Society.
If deemed worthy, the grower is then invited to select a name for their creation.
Over the years, Dix has cultivated the award-winning Olivia Maureen, which he started growing around 11 years ago.
Maxwell boasts an even older dahlia, Verda, which he first cultivated back in 1988.
Among the crowd favorites is a dahlia named “Just Married,” which was initially grown by Joe Gio from the Santa Cruz Dahlia Society.
As the upcoming show approaches, the growers will prune the flowers to select those that meet competition standards.
Judges will evaluate the blooms based on criteria such as age, bloom structure, and overall appearance depending on the variety.
Dix has prepared four to five dahlias that he believes are show-worthy, ready to impress the judges.
In addition to showcasing these stunning flowers, the event will also offer bouquets for sale, contributing to the garden’s maintenance costs.
While Maxwell has begun to scale back the number of dahlias he cultivates each year, Dix continues to experiment with many seedlings.
His ongoing quest aims to develop the ideal flower that he wishes to name after his late mother, who passed away a few years ago.
Dix shared, “You have to match the color with their personality. I want an orange one for my mother. She was a fiery Mexican woman.”
As the sun sets on summer and the days shorten, the dahlias will soon begin to enter dormancy in October.
Volunteers will then dig up the tubers between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, ensuring they are stored in a semi-moist condition until they are replanted in spring, between April 1 and May 15.
Come April, members of the San Leandro Dahlia Society will offer tubers for sale for anyone interested in cultivating these stunning perennial flowers, which can be grown either in the ground or in pots for those with limited space.
image source from：oaklandside
