Love a colorful array of dahlias? Now is the time to plan them for next summer.

Clallam County Master Gardeners Pam Pace and Ed Adams will present “The World of Dahlias” at the next Digger Deeper Saturdays event, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Woodcock Demonstration Garden, 2711 Woodcock Road in Sequim. The presentation is free and open to the public.

During their presentation, Pace and Adams will show attendees how to select and identify dahlias and how to plant, feed and water them. Participants will also learn how to protect them from pests and viruses, and how to harvest and store them properly.

Pace is a past Kootenai County, Idaho Master Gardener and a current 2023 Clallam County Master Gardener. During her lifelong gardening journey, she has grown vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers in five different planting zones. Pace’s favorite garden area is her cutting garden, filled with an ever-changing variety of annual flowers such as snap dragons, sunflowers and cosmos along with perennials including peonies, roses and her favorite, dahlias.

Adams says his dahlia ardor stems from his childhood.

“My love of dahlias comes from my grandma and one of my sisters,” he said. “A large portion of my grandma’s half-acre of ornamentals was dahlias. My garden at home includes a little over 600 dahlias.”

Adams is a Master Gardener from the class of 2023. He has a large pollinating garden, a home orchard, a berry patch, and Japanese Maples, as well as many ornamental plants. When he isn’t gardening on his five acres, Adams can usually be found on the Olympic Discovery Trail walking his eight dogs.

Gardening Q&A

In addition to the scheduled educational presentation, a team of Clallam County Master Gardeners will be available at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to answer all gardening questions. Gardening enthusiasts are encouraged to bring samples of garden problems or pests for diagnosis by Master Gardeners who can recommend control measures.

Photo by Lorraine Eckard/ Colorful dahlias abound at Sequim’s Woodcock Demonstration Garden.