July 2026 Newsletter

by Deborah Dietz

See the full original newsletter pdf with photos here: July 2026 Newsletter

NEXT MEETING:

July 14 at 7:30 PM at 9th and Lincoln, parking available at 10th and Lincoln.

Program: staging tips, what to show, how to read DSC’s Show Schedule, where to get the information you need, how to fill out an entry form.  Who will bring yummies to share with your fellow dahlianeers?

CELL PHONE STUNNERS

Up from Santa Cruz Brion Sprinsock shared the biggest rule for great pix:  cloudy weather which diffuses the rays of light and eliminates harsh shadows.  Brion showed how you could use an umbrella outside on a bright day if you had 4 hands or a helpful friend.  Brion explained that our cell phones are very smart but already programed to average out color.  A subject with tones of very white through the color spectrum to very black automatically  yields the most definitive color tones.  In a stunning example, he showed us how white, grey and black T-shirts together photograph true shades, but separately all blur to boring tan because the cell brain averages all the hues.  For people willing to get more serious, Brion recommends a black velvet cloth and a white foam core reflector.  Remember:  a wide angle setting gives more depth of field and a zoom blurs the background. Experiment with both settings on the same subject so you  can make smarter choices in the future.  Purple, burgundy and red defy most snapshots.  Brion’s tip:  add a piece of white paper to the bottom or top to help the cell phone brain “average” in wider color values “adjusting the white balance.”  Then just delete the white space.  Brion walked us through several built-in apps in a cell phone’s editing suite, including  how to write notes directly on the photo!  Brion and Kristine Albrecht’s two books, Dahlia Breeding for the Farmer-Florist and the Home Gardener and Dahlias: Seed to Bloom are both available on Amazon.  Both books are lavishly illustrated with Brion’s gorgeous photography. 

Rehear Brion’s talk here: DSCJune 9.2026(Brion).mp4

Check out Anita’s ceramic Bumble Rumble box.  Several  DSC members met up with Kristine and Brion before our meeting for casual questioning and rubbing of shoulders.

POMPEI OR DAHLIA CIRCLE?

Sarah has propelled the potential name change of the wee snippet of road around our Dell from Pompei Circle to something Dahlia related through the first of several hoops.  As of our  meeting, the myriad potential names - including Erik Gaensler Way and Deborah Dietz Circle - were winnowed down to 10.  We all voted for our favorite. The top 3 were Dahlia Dell Circle, Dahlia Circle, and Dahlia Way. Over 500 members of the public voted for their favorite of these on a survey put out by Rec&Park. The Parks Commission has the final say on July 16. Stay tuned! Thank you, Sarah, for jumping through all these bureaucratic hoops for us!

GOODIES FOR GOOD GARDENERS

John D and Pat thought alike and brought us crispy chips for nosh.   So many of you contributed cookies!  Lemon flowers from Jenna, Tate’s chocolate chips from Francis K, chocolate chips with cashews from the Saskis, ginger snaps from Maggie and macaroons from Anita.  Allison baked her macaroons from scratch!  We loved the can of praline coffee stirrers.  And healthy thanks to Lisa for her honey dew melon and to Cara for her garden bounty of plums, bay leaves and oh so tart kumquats.  A successful club community relies on everyone contributing in their best ways.

ADS PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

There are 10  categories plus People’s Choice in the American Dahlia Society National contest.  You may enter up to 3 per class—all online.  Deadline for mail submission is around Thanksgiving.  It’s simple and fun.  Use the new tips from Brion Sprinsock and bring home some winners for DSC!

  • Class 1:  Disseminated Dahlias/Seedlings

  • Class 2:  Dahlia Portrait, Portrait of a single cultivar

  • Class 3:  Dahlia Blooms  More than one of bloom or multiple cultivars

  • Class 4:  Dahlia Gardens

  • Class 5:  Dahlia Shows and Personalities

  • Class 6:  Dahlia Arrangements

  • Class 7:  Dahlias and Kids

  • Class 8:  Dahlias and Critters—insects, pets, fauna

  • Class 9:  Macro View

  • Class 10:  Digital Darkroom 

Our own DSC has 4 photo classes:  The first 3 classes should be shown in matt frames.

  • 01 Photograph: One  or more dahlia blooms, single variety 

  • 802 Photograph: Dahlia Garden (non-professionals only)

  • 803 Dahlia Photograph: Flora and Fauna 

  • 804 Dahlia Photograph: Any snapshot that has a dahlia in it (Any size photo, need not be matted, non-professionals only)

MARIN DINE AROUND:  YOU ARE INVITED!!

When:  Thursday, August 27th   What a wonderful opportunity to see 3 very different types of gardens, and confabulate with dahliaphiles.

  • 5:30  Drinks/Appetizers at Bayfront Community Garden (Katy, Christiana), 1 Hamilton Drive, Mill Valley CA 94941

  • 6:30  More Snacks at Edna McGuire Elementary School (Anita), 80 Lomita Drive, Mill Valley CA 94941

  • 7:15  Dessert at Paula Jaffe’s Garden, 30 Corte San Fernando, Bel Tiburon CA 94920-2014

JUDGING SCHOOL

San Leandro Dahlia Society invites you all to their judging seminar July 25 at the Senior Center, 13909 East 14th Street, San Leandro.  Who should attend?  Anyone interested in learning MORE about dahlias.  Your Dahlia Society of California feels that attending this Judging Seminar is so important that it pays for any of our member’s tuition!  We need accredited judges so badly.  This is the first step. Even if you don’t want to be a judge, take this opportunity to dig deeper into dahlia education.  Meet bloomerati from other dahlia societies.  See some gorgeous blooms.  Stimulate your dahlia brain.  Please register as soon as possible.  

2026 Dahlia Judging Seminar for the Pacific Southwest Dahlia Conference

Hosted by the San Leandro Dahlia Society

WHEN

Saturday, July 25, 2026

The seminar runs from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM OR 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM 

WHERE

San Leandro, CA Senior Center, 13909 East 14th Street, San Leandro

DETAILS

Registration required

Reserve your spot by July 11, 2026 — space may be limited depending on final location so register soon!

Click here to Register

FROGS AND CONTAINERS

Dahlias are exhibited at our Floribunda! (August 15-16) in pots with pin frogs.  Now is the time to scout out garage sales and Salvation Army bric-a-brac sections.  The rule of thumb is SHALLOW and HEAVY.  Shallow because the first set of leaves must be exhibited over the  edge of the container.  Heavy, because dahlia blooms can get top heavy.  You wouldn’t want to cause a disastrous domino effect on a table full of potentially winning specimens!  Use epoxy or aquarium cement to adhere your pin frogs.  Let sit 48 hours to secure the glue.  (Do this well before show time…..!)  

HELP AT THE ORCHID SHOW?

The DSC is honored to once again have an info table at the Orchid Show on July 25th and 26th, in the County Fair Building. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteer Dahlia Ambassadors to spread our joy & info about the official flower of SF! Ideally 2 hour shifts (10-12/12-2/2-4ish) on Sat from 10-5 & Sun 10-4. If you are interested, please email Jenna at  jennakaiserw@gmail.com

VOLUNTEER TO HELP AT OUR FLORIBUNDA!

Ways to Volunteer and Support your Dahlia Society 

Do you have blooms you want to share? There's a movement dedicated to spreading happiness and smiles, one flower at a time. Check out our new DSCSF tags and create a bouquet for someone to enjoy. 

Our Dahlia Show is right around the corner. Want to get involved? Email sfdahliasociety.volunteers@gmail.com to sign up for a shift or two. You can also sign-up in-person at our July meeting with Marissa Viray, Volunteer Coordinator.  

  • Friday, August  14  (Shift: 2:45 - 4:45 PM) 

    • Set-up of tables 

  • Saturday, August 15 (Shifts: 9 AM - 12 PM, 12-3 PM, 3-5 PM)  

    • Food Table first shift from 7 - 9 AM

    • Membership Table  + People's Choice 

    • Tuber Table 

    • Merchandise Table 

    • Roving Ambassadors 

  • Sunday, August 16 (Shifts: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, 12:30 - 3:30 PM, 3:30 - 6 PM)  

    • Food Table 

    • Membership Table  + People's Choice 

    • Tuber Table 

    • Merchandise Table  

    • Roving Ambassadors

    • Tear Down (All hands) *after 4 PM and done by 6 PM

DAHLIA CALENDER

Orchid Show
July 25-26
Hall of Flowers  GG Park

Judging Seminar
July 25
13909 E. 14th San Leandro    

Central Coast Show
Aug. 8-9
United Methodist Church
1515 FrederickStSLO
Flowers of the Year: Misfit Kaleidoscope, Reann’s Tiger’s Eye

DSC Floribunda!
Aug. 15-16
9th and Lincoln GG Park SF
FOY:  Skip to My Lou

M Bay DS Show 
Aug. 22-23
Capitola Mall

Marin Dine Around
Aug. 27           
3 Gardens, Everybody welcome

National Show        
Aug. 27-30     
Grand Rapids, Michigan 
ACT NOW!  things are filling up!

SLDC Show
Sept 5-6
JJ’s Eliot
Venus BB NXO

DSC Anniversary Picnic 
Sept. 13     
Dahlia Dell

Sierra Nevada Show  
Sept. 19          
703-228-9860 

THE STORE IS OPEN!

Did you see our lovely 100th  Anniversary T-shirts at our meeting?  ANYONE & EVERYONE can buy these shirts on our DSC website! Under "Contribute" at the top is the SHOP. These T-shirts ship directly to you. Minimal tax and shipping. “We will be adding more merch soon!” Jenna assures us.  DSC accepts Venmo.    https://www.sfdahlias.org

SPONSORSHIP OF FLOWER OF THE YEAR 

In honor of the momentous 100th Anniversary of The Dahlia being named San Francisco’s official flower, Erik has offered ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!! to sponsor the Best Flower of the Year, Skip to My Lou.  Flower of the Year is a challenge to all of us to grow the exact same genetic plant and see whose grows the best.  What will make the difference between a pretty flower and a WINNING Flower of the Year?  Fertilizer?  Secret Sauce?  Microbiota?  Garden orientation?  Sun exposure?  Strategic umbrellas? We challenge all of you to grow Skip to My Lou this season and vie for Erik’s $100 prize!  

SPONSORSHIP?

Our DSC Floribunda! is famous for how rich our premium payouts are.  Our club proffers over $2000 in possible awards.  Moreover, our members support 55 more categories with generous backing.  Individual DSC members sponsor Best Variegated or Best Bi-Color or Best Floating Waterlily, Nature’s Oddity and other interesting combinations.  Check our Show Schedule for these $pecial classes.  Thank you to so many members who have generously stepped up their sponsorships!  Of course, we don’t grow and show to get rich, but it’s certainly a wonderful enticement for competitors to drive hours to our show and a nice way to reward us for everything that goes into successfully bringing a bloom to our show table!  

LOST AND FOUND

A magnifying glass.  Describe it and claim it. 

DAHLIAS, OUR  DELL, OUR DAHLIANEER

Craftsmanship Magazine has re-released their 2022 article by Thomas  Cooper.  Using our Dell and our Deborah, Thomas delves into the crazy world of competition dahlia growing.  Great pix and fun facts.

https://craftsmanship.net/of-dahlias-obsessive-growers-and-their-high-stakes-beauty-contests/

WHEN WILL YOUR DAHLIA BLOOM?

Tara sent us this chart to help us understand how long certain buds take to become fully opened dahlias.  Thank you, Tara!  Just reminding you that rabbits make a litter of little bunnies in about 30 days; an elephant gestates 22 months for a baby elephant—but it’s a BIG baby!  So, too, our dahlias.  Some like GW’s Babe and Eden Alice are bunnies; Maki, Nick Sr. and My Hero are elephants.  

FLORIBUNDA! ARRANGEMENTS

DSC offers 5 categories for floral arrangements and one free form without foam for first time arrangers.  You DO NOT have to grow your own dahlias.  You can buy them or get them from a friendly  grower.  You can use other flowers or greenery or filler or props.  They will be judged 50% on quality of bloom and 50% on interpretation of theme.  

Here are our San Francisco Icon categories and their sponsors: 

1. Painted Ladies--Utilizing 3 colors   Melissa Guthrie $25

2. Lombard Street--Eliciting verve of movement. Curved, spiral, flowing      Alex and Allison Krivrochenko   $50

3. Golden Gate Bridge--Two vases arrangement with or without fog     Susan Denny $25

4. Escape from Alcatraz--Featuring water   Katy Shepard $40

5. TALL Landmarks--Evoke Coit Tower, Ferry Building or Transamerica Building    Jenna Kaiser $25

6. Celebrate Diversity:   No foam.  First time arrangers only.  Tara Donahough $25

For the full list of all the rule and opportunities: XXXXXxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

CULTURAL OUTREACH:  CCSF.EDU

Who knew that hidden behind massive wooden doors flourished an oasis of beauty?  Teachers and volunteers at San Francisco City College Horticultural School invited Jenna and Deborah to share tips on dahlia growing.  In the midst of several raised beds, under a white palanquin, they set up Erik’s educational triptych, passed out 100th Anniversary postcards and answered extensive questions.  Then the Hort staff, Anna and Richard, led Jenna and Deborah through their collection of dahlias—very healthy and clean—but alas, no names.  So we gave them Envy, Eden Patricia, and numerous tubers.  Forthwith we potted them up and took them to Dahlia Heaven: heated beds with intermittent misting.  Such gorgeous greenhouses surging with fabulous ferns, bromeliads,  cacti, and orchids!  Wow!  Check out City College Horticultural Classes.  Rumor has it that they are  WONDERFUL!

EARLY BLOOMING

Already in early June, Phil and Marilyn’s dahlias lit up their Richmond garden.  With help from Chelsea, a summer intern at the Dell, their blooms were huge and their leaves were museum quality perfection.   Thanks to Allison for sharing an early bloom photo, too.

OVER HILL AND OVER DELL

Check out Sarah’s Bracken Sarah, B id or for fantastic form and great stems.  Erik’s collection of Eden varieties demonstrates the range of Lou Paradise’s hybridizing:   Eden Alice and Eden Stacia.  Tim’s upper tier seedlings grow in 4x4” pots, with their roots shooting deep into the ground through 4 little holes in the bottom.  Sue’s first blooms please the public; her treats please repeat doggy visitors.  Tinnee and Jerry have almost finished planting fabulous varieties.  Their Vassio Meggos surely rivaled the platonic ideal, so perfect!  What a deep  maroon pulses from her water lily, Sandia Nocturne.  Tinnee’s Nick Sr. causes gasps and many a pointing finger, named after the owner of Swan Island Dahlias.  Lou’s section is full of numbered seedlings.  Who will win a bid to name a new introduction this year?  Steve is very pleased with Eden Sunday Steve growing in Deborah’s section next to magnificent Hollyhill  Cotton Candys, B ic pk.  Kung Fu Kitty tickles vistiors, all bristly and sparkle pinky.  Carol dug a huge compost hole—so deep she could hardly climb out of it.  She was appalled at how quickly it filled with egg shells, banana peels and green leaves.  With such tiny fingers, Jennifer can disbud especially early to encourage Jessica, Mingus Tony and Finlandia to grow even bigger!  Jennifer chose Verrone’s Taylor Swift, St, as her Best of the Day, a beguiling little pink charmer.  She loved the  alyssum birthday present from Tinnee.  Clearing out the underleaves and opportunistic   weeds requires a discerning eye and delicate nipping; Lucy wield deft hands and champion knees.  Who came back to help after her last summer’s internship?  Irene, before leaving for Rice University, hand waters our for-sale pots.   Hometown Hero enflames awe to remember the heroic firefighters who battled to save the inferno in    Oregon in a few years ago.  It’s fun to know the stories behind some of the names.  Antoinette worked overtime and reaped major bounty: dahlias and arugula!  Bon Appetite!

POLYMORPH POLY TALENTS

Rennie, Conor and Saul from Polymorph in Watsonville visited our Dell on a work Tuesday.  They came prepared: gloves, hats, snips and willingness to disbud, deadhead and clear bottom leaves.  Also included were bottles  of 20% bleach and 100% water.  They  would drop their tools first in bleach then into the water between plants –definitely a habit we could try for disease remediation. And what gifts they brought straight from the lab!  CLEAN KA’s XXX  and Black Jack.  So luscious.  So generous.  Later on our bench break, they mentioned that they are building a website to sell some of their extra dahlia tissue  culture plants. Before Christmas. Great timing.  Crazy fact:  viruses and viroids move through our dahlias differently, partially because one transmits through DNA and the other RNA.  Polymorph scientists know dahlias from the basic molecule on up!   

JUST FABULOUS JULY

Disbudding, Deadheading

Disbud any bud between the apex bud and the first leaf pair.  This can be one, two, three, or even 4 buds!  Go for the longer, stronger stem and bigger, more voluptuous bloom!  Deadhead DOWN TO NEW GROWTH.  Make sure you see new activity coming out of the stalk or stem just below where you cut.  If you don’t cut far enough down, your  dahlia will just stop producing.  Look for NEW GROWTH.  Tsk tsk at this huge Labyrinth. Inadequate disbudding resulted in an exceedingly crotch-bound bloom—not useful to anyone!  If you have questions on this, come by the Dell on a Tuesday or Saturday and we’ll show you where we deadhead.  

Vase Life 

How long can you expect to enjoy your cut dahlias?  If you do everything right, six days is about the maximum.  Firstly, when you snip your bloom in the garden, put it IMMEDIATELY into water.  Carry a little bucket/vase with you.  Do not let air bubbles or dust clog the channels by which your stem sucks up moisture.  Secondly, recut 1/8 inch before putting your specimen into a vase.  Thirdly, have the cleanest vase possible.  I pop mine in the dishwasher.  Other people fill all their vases almost full with water and top off with bleach.   They let these stand overnight, then pour out.  The bleach should eradicate any random biota that has glommed microscopically onto the sides of your container.  CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN.  Change your water every other day.  

Cocktail of the Month

I start all my cocktails with some JMS Stylet Oil and dishwashing soap for adherence to leaves.  A little dissolved baking soda is great to change the ph slightly.  In July we have a few bugs like aphids and caterpillars.  A teaspoon of Captain Jack Dead Bug will take care of these.  Instead of Capt. Jack’s you can also buy a bottle of the active ingredient, Spinosad.  Are you seeing dustings of white powder?  Powdery mildew is quite prevalent in July.  If you have been doing prophylactic sprayings with baking soda, this should be minimal.  But if you waited until you had a problem, now you really have a PROBLEM.  Buy a commercial anti-fungal.  Eagle works wonders, but is expensive and hard on pollinators.  Try spraying just after dark, when most little buzzy bugs have gone home for the night.  Before you spray (but after you’ve prepared your cocktail) strip off all the affected leaves.  Your poor dahlia plant will look pathetic.  Spray after dark.  Wait 3 days.  Spray after dark again.  Wait 3 days.  Spray after dark.  Now spray every week after dark.  Tim found some Safer brand anti-fungal and says it works well at Sisterhood Gardens.  If you do this faithfully you could enjoy lovely dahlias on your Thanksgiving table. 

Disease?

We are all working so hard to have healthy, clean dahlias.  How do you identify disease?  If you have a bunch of healthy plants and one is stubby and wizened, THROW IT AWAY.   But reading dahlia leaves can be like reading tea leaves; the future is uncertain.  Here are photos and advice from the Master Gardeners.  My rule of thumb is to give iffy plants a little more TLC: more fertilizer, more light, deleaf problem leaves, observe and threaten with removal.  You’d be surprised how many send up beautiful clean happy leaves in no time.  However, if crinkly, unhappy leaves persist, toss into the garbage, NOT the compost.  Many people  keep jars of 10% bleach solution handy.  They alternate several pairs of scissors with ones in the jar and ones air drying from dipping.  This minimizes cross-contamination amongst your own beauties.  

Popped Centers?

What is a popped center?  Open centered dahlias like collorettes, orquettes, and singles unfurl with their pollen-laden centers shining brightly.  Bees love them.  However, our formal decoratives, cacti, and laciniateds should bloom for many many days without exposing their pollen cache.  Nevertheless, there are some bad actors out there.  Sarah had a nasty Sandia Lillian.  Fabulous color, strong stems.  All popped centers from the moment those gorgeous pink petals began to unfurl.  My long awaited Verrone’s DF produced darling pink and white blooms but every single one popped!  Grr.  Good thing I have lots of “insurance”-- back up dahlias in waiting.  Popped centers are not necessarily diseased. They just have a glitch in their genes that make them more available to pollinators.  Good for bees; bad for growers.  Throw them out.  

Read Your Dahlia Leaves

Master Gardeners warn that the major diseases you will see most often are DMV/DCMV (dahlia mosaic virus and dahlia common mosaic virus), TSV (tobacco streak virus) and TSWV (tomato spot wilt virus). There are many others, but these are commonly seen. DMV has a mosaic or splotchy chlorosis pattern on the leaves,  TSV is streakier but often looks similar. TSWV has spots or bullseye patterns on leaves. Sometimes plants low in nitrogen can mimic the symptoms of DMV but yellow vein clearing is also a pretty obviously an indication of virus. If unsure you can order tests through Agdia  Phillip-Mindy Bizzell.

Accidents Happen

Who knows what possesses a frisky dog to race through your dahlia bed? Why do gophers prefer to destroy your most  expensive dahlias? What pushed that trellis over on your tallest blooms?  Never fear.  We still have many competitive dahlias growing in pots at the Dell for sale.  Come check them out and meet our volunteers on Tuesday or Saturday mornings between 10 and noon.

Yours in dirt,
Deborah

Photo Credits:  Dibner, Dietz, Fuss, Gaensler, Kaiser, Krivorushko, Vainish, Veis, Wong

Punctilious Proofreader:  Steve

Webmaster:  Mini

Our friends at the San Francisco Garden Club are celebrating their 100th Anniversary too this year!

To honor this milestone and the city’s official flower, a limited edition, silk scarf produced in Italy is being offered. Designed by artist Cecy Jones, this beauty is only $100, and available in black or ice blue. These will be for sale at our IN PERSON DSC meeting on Tuesday, July 14th. Credit cards, Zelle and PayPal accepted. These scarves are stunning and the perfect gift for any dahlia lover!