On a cold March night a few winters ago I quickly strode from my car to the warmth of my local library. A local flower farm, less than a mile from my home, was holding a seminar on Dahlias. I brought my $8 check which would secure a healthy tuber, a pot full of planting media, and a beautifully delivered presentation that the owners warned may start a lifetime fascination with Dahlias. The were SO right.
I have always been fascinated with plants. My mom inherited her green thumb from her dad. Back in the 1700s my white bread ancestors farmed the land in a more rural Connecticut colony. I have a modest raised bed that my husband built for me several springs ago. I have been converting my too symmetrically planned landscaping into something more pleasing to my non-linear mind.
The books I check out of the library are invariably ones about plants. My current fascination is with carnivorous plants, and we have been populating our aquaria with water plants to provide nitrogen removal, food for the turtles and vegetarian and omnivorous fish, and to bring some green into the primarily gravel and orangish fish environments.
I have bought Dahlia tubers from my local garden stores, but most I have gotten at Detroit Abloom. Since my retirement I have much more free time on my hands, so I started to volunteer at this flower farm. The owners are so and
I have also achieved the Master Gardener designation through the Michigan State University Extension Program. This volunteer program requires forty hours of community service to achieve your initial certification, and additional time each year.
