Bed A15, Tended by Marion
Marion grew up on a dairy farm, so gardening has always been a hobby. After living in Germany and other areas of the US, Marion moved to Spokane in 1982. Retired after 13 years of working for the City of Spokane, Marion has been gardening in ECG for 3 years. She is currently a member of the Gardeneers, the decision-making committee who oversee the workings of ECG.
Marion started raising dahlias several years ago when she received tubers from her sister and friends. She says that she spends5-8 hours a week tending to her plot, as well as helping in the common areas of ECG, weeding, etc., and uses no special fertilizers. Her secret, though, is giving the tubers a head start by potting them in late April, then planting them in the ground in June when the soil is warmer.
The bed is beautifully arranged, with taller plants in the center, allowing the blooms to arc gracefully over the shorter plants. Best of all, each type of dahlia is labeled with a small stake, stating the name of the variety. (Sadly, the photographer failed to correlate pictures of the names with the pictures of the flowers. I guess you’ll just have to visit Marion’s plot to see for yourself which is which. 😊)
