Our website hasn’t been updated in a very long time, so as the end of our 2010 growing season approaches we decided to look back and share some highlights of our year.
Lots of changes and challenges! We had peonies for the first time this spring. Here Don is holding some of the earliest blooms — we had lots of single peonies at first — which I had never seen before.
The single peony bloom is less “showy” than the fully double blooms below — still so beautiful in its own way — Don looks happy to be holding the first flowers of 2010!
These fully double peonies were taken to the Leesburg Farmer’s Market along with dahlia plants and tubers for several weeks in May. They were a big hit with our customers on Mother’s Day weekend.
And speaking of Mother’s Day weekend…
The dahlia plants went into the ground starting Mother’s Day weekend, and in June HOT WEATHER arrived but NO RAIN! We do have drip irrigation on the plants and it was utilized in all the beds on a rotating schedule, but NOTHING beats a good steady rainfall and we had to wait for rainfall for a very long time.
In July, while still waiting for a good rain (or any rain, for that matter) the first flush of stink bugs arrived! They chewed up dahlia buds and blossom centers — they are very destructive and no natural predators around — unfortunately birds share our opinion of these pests and don’t consider stink bugs a menu item. We had to hand-pick these bugs off the plants.
We celebrated July 4th weekend by hosting our 2nd annual “Honey Harvest and Luncheon.” Don’s daughter Amanda and her friend John both volunteered to assist. We had a great time together and got a lot of work done.
We harvested over 150 pounds of our own honey (the “Etc.” in Don’s Dahlias, Etc.!). Amanda is not only our webmaster (mistress) — she also designed our honey bottle labels, and the labels have drawn a lot of attention to our honey. Thank you, Amanda!
Aren’t they great?!
By August, although still waiting for rain, we had enough flowers to supply our brides and outstanding floral designer, Holly Heider Chapple.
September brought some rain to our gardens, and we finally had enough dahlia blooms to attend the Leesburg Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. What fun to see some of our regular customers again! We also bring our honey and hand-crafted beeswax moisturizing skin creams to the market.
Don was show chairman again this year for the National Capital Dahlia Society’s 75th annual show held at Brookside Gardens in Maryland. Don was away a night or two, so our friend Valerie Burton helped Rhonda at the market.
It’s October now, and the dahlia plants are producing so many beautiful blooms, but it is sad to realize the first hard frost is getting closer by the day!
We owe thanks to many people for making an enjoyable hobby a successful small-grower business — Holly Heider Chapple, the brides who come out to our gardens to select the flowers for their special day, the customers we see early every Saturday morning at the Leesburg Farmer’s Market, and most of all our thanks to Amanda. Finally, I must mention the three “assistants” who work daily by Don’s side, helping in all aspects in any way they can. One could almost say they work like “dogs” …
From left: Lydia, Lizzie, and Louis
It’s been a great year! Thanks again,
Don and Rhonda Dramstad
Don’s Dahlias, Etc. 