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BOARDMAN -- Dazzling blooms in nearly every imaginable color, shape and size were on display over the weekend as more than 35 exhibitors participated in the Mahoning Valley Dahlia Society's annual Dahlia Show at the Lariccia Family Community Center in Boardman Park.
Growers traveled from throughout Ohio, including Columbus, Cleveland and Wooster, as well as Mahoning and Trumbull counties, to showcase the results of months of cultivation and compete for top honors.
According to MVDS President Harriet Chandler, judging is based on a variety of factors including size, color, form, stem quality and overall presentation.
"It can be very competitive," Chandler said. "Each grower tries to grow the best dahlia."
While the competition highlights exceptional blooms, the society's mission extends beyond ribbons and awards.
"Our mission is to teach new people to grow good dahlias and cultivate them into wanting to share their talent at dahlia shows," Chandler said. "We also cultivate new friendships."
The dahlia is one of the world's most popular garden flowers, prized for its extraordinary diversity. Native to the mountainous regions of Mexico and Guatemala, the flower was cultivated by the Aztecs centuries before it was introduced to Europe in the late 1700s. Today, it is recognized as the national flower of Mexico.
Modern hybridization has produced thousands of registered varieties. Blooms can range from less than two inches across to giant flowers measuring more than 10 inches in diameter. Forms include decorative, cactus, pompon, waterlily, orchid and ball dahlias, among many others.
That diversity helps explain the flower's enduring popularity among gardeners and exhibitors alike.
"Dahlias are so beautiful that people can't resist trying to grow them," Chandler said. "The biggest misconception is that you can't just plant a dahlia and expect it to look like the ones at the shows. They take a lot of time and work to accomplish that."
Unlike many garden flowers, dahlias bloom from mid-to-late summer until the first hard frost, providing months of color. They grow from underground tubers that are dug and stored through the winter before being replanted in the spring.
Producing a prize-winning bloom often requires careful attention throughout the growing season. Exhibitors stake plants, monitor watering and fertilization, and often remove selected flower buds so the remaining blooms grow larger and more perfectly formed.
For many growers, however, the rewards extend beyond competition.
"We are so passionate because it gives us a lot of pleasure, even if we just give them away to make people smile," Chandler said. "Our show also gives people the opportunity to enjoy them."
One longtime society member recalled being introduced to dahlias by a sister who invited her to attend a show years ago.
"My sister got started growing dahlias," she said. "She invited me to a show, and I won a blue ribbon. Their beauty alone kept me growing, but it also became fun to do."
Today, she grows approximately 150 plants each year and spends hours tending her garden every few days.
"I keep growing because it keeps me active and I enjoy the people I meet along the way," she said. "And you can't resist the beauty of God's creation."
Her dedication has paid off. One year, she grew a purple bloom measuring 16 inches across that was recognized as the world's largest dahlia of its kind.
The flower's beauty has inspired admiration for centuries. In Victorian England, dahlias were associated with elegance, dignity, commitment and gratitude. Other traditions viewed them as symbols of resilience and perseverance, perhaps because they bloom so spectacularly late in the season when many other flowers are beginning to fade.
Those qualities seem fitting for the growers who devote countless hours to nurturing the plants. For members of the MVDS, the annual show is about more than exhibiting flowers. It is an opportunity to share knowledge, celebrate friendships and showcase a bloom whose remarkable variety continues to captivate gardeners around the world.
Tammy May of Seville, Ohio, whose Clearview Lilly variety of Dahlia won the Grand Champion award, can attest to those qualities and the ways that belonging to a Dahlia society can enhance one's knowledge and social circle. This is her third year of entering the completion and her first time earning a ribbon. She is a member of both the MVDS and the Dahlia Society of Ohio that is based out of Cleveland.
Whether admired for their vivid colors, immense size or symbolic meanings, dahlias remain a testament to what patience, dedication and a little bit of passion can produce.