Why Ree Drummond Loves Dahlias (and Why She'll Plant Even More Next Year)

Yes, I first grew dahlias back in 2004, when Todd was a newborn (well...he wasn't yet born when I planted my tubers!) and I was preparing our homestead to throw a party for my sister Betsy, who had just gotten married. My mother-in-law Nan helped me get an old stone-lined garden cleaned out and tilled, and we even put up a pergola and a wooden swing. The kids were tiny (especially Todd, see above, haha---he was still in my belly) and I had not started blogging yet. But I loved flowers even then, and I was ready to go for it.

In 2004, I had an issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. I was a subscriber! In the March 2004 issue, a glorious garden in Oregon was featured---or maybe it was Washington. Either way, it was an entirely different hardiness zone than mine. This garden was glorious. Huge, all-encompassing, it probably took up two acres...or at least it seemed that way. But amid all the lush vegetation---and the magazine listed everything the homeowner grew---were dahlias.

There were dahlias everywhere in this garden in the Pacific Northwest---amid the patty pan squash, the scarlet runner beans, the herbs, the melon. And while I really didn't know much about dahlias at the time, what I noticed was the wild variety of blooms from plant to plant. No two dahlia flowers were even remotely alike, it seemed, and the intrigue sparked me to do a deep dive into all things dahlia.

Keep in mind this was 2004, so while there were plenty of resources on "the net," I still made it a point to read the "Resources" section of the garden article in that old Martha Stewart Living magazine. In it, I found out about Swan Island Dahlias, and I ordered a random selection of dahlia tubers. It was March or April by then, so not much was available...so I let whatever was in stock be my guide!

My kids were little then. I was big and pregnant then! But I planted my tubers according to the instructions and guidelines, and filled in the other empty spaces with echinacea, roses, and native grasses. To my surprise, by July, I not only had a fourth child, I also had big, beautiful dahlia flowers without a whole lot of effort.

I was just a tad busy in those days, haha, and totally distracted my motherhood and life, so I didn't tend to the dahlias like I needed to. So it was a short-lived love affair, and I never planted them again...until this year! I ordered from Swan Island again this past March, like old time's sake, along with a couple of other dahlia sources I'd found this spring when I decided I wanted to try my hand at the dahlia game again.

The verdict? I'm in love. Deep, deep love. And it's not because dahlias are so popular now. It's not because they are a trend. No, the reverse is true: Dahlias are popular and dahlias are a trend because they are absolutely addictive. They take time, care, and daily attention if you want your plants to succeed. But that time and care is rewarded so bountifully, and every morning in a dahlia garden is like Christmas. (Well...starting around the end of June!)

I can understand why there are dahlia farms seemingly popping up all over. I'm not even halfway through my dahlia growing season and already I'm trying to calculate how many more beds I can factor into our yard next year. 😂 And I don't even have an urge or desire to make a business of it or sell the flowers or tubers, as so many savvy dahlia growers do. I simply need more of them in my life---to marvel at, to share, and to swoon over! In honestly, what I have this summer is enough. But it doesn't feel like enough. (Sorry, Ladd!)

Haley, my longtime friend and amazing helper and coworker, was the recipient of my first real bouquet this summer. I don't know how to arrange my dahlias yet. I have more to learn and figure out in that realm. But what I've found about dahlias is that you can throw them into an Ace Hardware bucket and they still look magnificent. Thank you for letting me share, friends! Have I mentioned I love dahlias? 😊