In much of the country, it's fair and flower show season.
Even new dahlia growers might well consider entering their best blooms in competition. There are several sorts of events that offer the chance to showcase the best of your dahlia garden.
County fairs virtually always include a horticultural department, and in late summer, there are lots of dahlias on exhibition. The categories in these cases are often quite general; "dahlia" may be as specific as it gets. These are often good places to start showing blooms. Entries include single blooms and, often, categories for groups or collections.
State fairs, usually held in late summer or early autumn, are a next step. Often they, too, feature open competition in the horticultural arena. In some areas there are regional fairs that follow county fairs but precede the major state fairs. County, regional and state fairs publish their premium guides with competition categories in advance of the events.
Flower shows are held in major population areas, and these offer yet another venue for exhibition. Some are sponsored by garden clubs; others are held as fund-raisers for civic groups or organizations. These may be more variety-specific, and of course they lack the wide range of exhibits and carnival features of the county, regional and state fairs.
As is the case with most county, regional and state fairs, many flower shows feature competition in flower arranging as well as single-bloom competitions. Some of these competitions feature bouquets of one kind of flower, others allow for a predominant kind with other varieties included, while still others involve specific design components or themes.
Dahlia shows are held worldwide. They may be separate events or part of general flower shows. Often they are sponsored by local dahlia societies (also sometimes called dahlia circles or dahlia clubs). In Canada and the United States, there are over 70 dahlia societies, all associated with the American Dahlia Society. The earliest were founded in the late 19th Century.
Dahlia shows over the years have reflected popular taste. Through much of the 20th Century, size was the biggest factor; a great deal of emphasis was placed on the largest flowers of each class. The show-stoppers were always the giant dahlias, which came to exceed 10 inches in diameter, earning them the name "dinner-plate" dahlias.
Today, while the gaudy "dinner-plate" dahlias still get lots of attention, form is generally the largest point category for judging dahlias. It's followed (in descending order) by color, substance, stem, foliage, condition, and staging and bloom position.
There are categories for single blooms, multiple blooms of one variety (usually triples, which should be of uniform size and color), and collections of five or more blooms of one kind. Single blooms should be of a height proportionate to the size of the bloom; side buds should be removed (this is called disbudding) a while before the bloom is cut to
display an adequate stem with leaves visible above the mouth of the container.
display an adequate stem with leaves visible above the mouth of the container.
It's important to read the show schedule to determine appropriate categories and to find out such things as whether the exhibitors must provide their own containers. It's also important, in dahlia-show competition, to be able to identify the variety you're showing. That's a good reminder to label the places you plant each of your dahlia tubers in spring, and to label the tubers when you dig them in the fall.
Arrangement categories at dahlia shows, as opposed to those in general flower shows, often are limited to bouquets, baskets and large-scale standing arrangements. Many dahlia shows also have categories for dried dahlias and corsages.
When showing dahlia flowers, it's important to cut the blooms once they're fully open but just opened, so that they last well. Condition them by standing them in deep water that's slightly warm and contains a supplement for long blossom life.
Showing your dahlias is fun. It also gives you a chance to compare yours to those of other growers, and of course introduces you to new varieties you might want to add to your garden next year.
