Dig on Dahlias

Join Joann and Allison chat with Dr. Troy Peters, Professor and Director of the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems and Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Washington State University. Dr. Peters shares with us considerations for watering systems across different soil types.

You can find out more about Dr. Peters at the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systesm website: https://cpaas.wsu.edu/contact_overview/director/.

Join Joann and Allison chat with Steve Lloyd of the Dahlia Doctor. Steve shares with us his dahlia history as well as how he turned to evidence-based research to grow them better. Initially what started as a quest to better his own growing, turned into The Dahlia Doctor Research Library. Steve utilizes AI to find dahlia specific research articles/seminars/thesis papers and uses that information to write articles as a resource to others so they too can make evidence-based growing decisions.

Before meeting, Steve asked us to come up with a question he could use his research system to find an answer. Joann asked, "Can line breeding stabilize color in seedlings?" Listen in to find out the answer! Visit https://www.dahliadoctor.com/pages/podcast for Steve's supporting documents to his answer.

To find out more about Steve and the Dahlia Doctor Research Library, check out his website www.dahliadoctor.com or on Facebook @DahliaDoctor.

Join Joann and Allison chat with LeeAnn Huber of Coseytown Flowers. Coseytown Flowers focuses on hybrdizing dahlias in a way that solves flower farmer needs. Rather than being focused on just a pretty flower, they put plant vigor and health at the forefront. LeeAnn shares with us how she runs her dahlia farm as a working business.

You can find out more about Coseytown Flowers on social media IG @CoseytownFlowers or on their website www.coseytownflowers.com.

Join Joann and Allison chat with Agronomist, Blake TeVelde. Locally, Blake works for an Agronomy Center helping local farmers improve their crops. In this episode, Blake takes that knowledge and shares with us how we can test and treat soil to support overall dahlia health.

You've heard Blake before when he joined buisness partner, Thomas Bloomquist, on Season 2 Episode 4 when they shared all about their dahlia farm, North Cascade Dahlias. You can find more about North Cascade Dahlias on their social media @NorthCascadeDahlias and on their website www.northcascadedahlias.com.

Join Joann and Allison chat all things iris with Josh Prieb of Fascination Iris Farm. Josh operates Fascination Iris Farm out of Whatcom County, WA where he grows hundreds of iris varieties, including a few of his own cultivars. Josh shares with us a bit of his gardening history as well as the the processes of how to hybridize and classify iris.

To learn more about Josh, you can follow along on social media @fascinationirisfarm and on his website https://jprieb751.wixsite.com/fascination-iris.

Join Joann and Allison chat with Stacey Kons of Sweet Collarette Flower Patch. While newer to hybridizing, Stacey is having great success and creating some beautiful dahlias. Stacey finds rest and solitude in her dahlia patch and encourages others to do the same. She blogs about her experiences on her website.

To learn more about Stacey, you can follow her on Instagram @sweetcollarette or on her website https://sweetcollarette.myshopify.com

Join Joann and Allison chat (more learn from) with Adrienne of @Tah-Dahlia! on how to take better pictures of our dahlias using our phone cameras. Adrienne shares with us several different considerations on how to set up your scene, how to utilize lighting and how to capture the perfect picture. Helpful to those looking to enhance their social media and/or improve the images on their website.

You can find out more about Adrienne on her Instagram @Tah-Dahlia!.

Join Joann and Allison chat with Roe of Sweet Briar Flowers. What started off as relief at the end of a long day in coporate finance has flourished into a love for flower farming, dahlia growing and hybridizing. Roe and her husband grow thousands of dahlias in the Pacific Northwest. Her first introduction, Roe's Seanshine, landed the cover of the 2026 dahlia annual, Dahlias of Today! Listen to find out how they use dahlias for good.

You can find out more about what Roe and Sean are up to on their website www.sweetbriarflowerspnw.com and on social media IG @sweetbriarflowerspnw.

Join Joann and Allison chat with Sabika of Seattle Girl Farm. Sabika shares her story how gardening to support her father during health concerns unexpectedly brought her to grow and love dahlias. Once in the tech world and fashion design, Sabika now finds herself growing hundreds of dahlias, a member of her local flower cooperative, SnoCoFlo, and a memeber of her local dahlia socieity.

You can find out more about Sabika on her social media Instagram @seattlegirlfarm and on her website www.seattlegirlfarm.com.

Join Joann and Allison chat with Catheriya Burke of South Moore Garden. Catheriya is a hobby grower who fell into learning how to clean dahlias of virus through tissue culture because of her desire to grow healthy stock after purchasing some expensive international cultivars. Catheriya openly shares with others how to be able to do the same on her social media. Catheriya has started hybridzing dahlias and is creating some beautiful blooms!

To find out more about South Moore Garden and all Catheriya has been up to, you can visit her Instagram @SouthMooreGarden or you can contact Catheriya through email at [email protected].