Peg Van Scyoc and Bill Van Scyoc, pictured, exhibited dahlias in the Greater Columbus Dahlia Society’s 55th Annual Dahlia Show in 2021. On average, there are 400 entries in the show in various sizes, colors and shapes. The public is encouraged to attend the event to see the beautiful flowers. Admission is free.
(Photo submitted)
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The Greater Columbus Dahlia Society’s 56th Annual Dahlia Show will be held Labor Day weekend at the Marysville Family YMCA, 1150 Charles Lane.
The show will run on Saturday, Sept. 3, from 1-5 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 4, from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free.
“We try hard to make it a community event, open to the public for no charge,” said Dick Westfall, co-president of the Greater Columbus Dahlia Society.
Westfall said attendees should enter the show from the back doors of the armory. He added that there is a parking lot in the back.
Local businesses sponsor the event and provide food for the exhibitors primarily on Friday evening when they set up their flowers, Westfall said.
The annual show used to be held at a mall in Columbus. Relocating the event to Marysville brought the challenge of finding an affordable venue that was spacious, Westfall said.
“We had a free venue in Columbus,” he said. “In the malls today, what used to be open space, is all filled up with small kiosks and whatever. We finally settled on the YMCA in the armory. They gave us a real break cost-wise.”
Westfall explained that the show is held on Labor Day weekend because three different companies of the national guard meet on weekends at the YMCA armory, except that holiday weekend.
“It’s a good time for us to do it,” he said. “Our group is so happy with this arrangement.”
He said late August to early September is the best time to harvest dahlias for exhibition in this region.
“Most of the dahlia societies in the Midwest will pick sometime in late August, early September” for the exhibitions, Westfall said, which “creates kind of a problem because there’s not that many weekends and sometimes there’s more societies wanting to have a show.”
On average, the show has 400 dahlia entries. Westfall said most of the exhibitors come from Ohio, with many based in the northern part of the state.
The dahlias are categorized by size, color and form. Westfall said judges look for maturity, purity of color, straight stems and lush, green foliage that is free of defects.
He explained that the bloom accounts for about 70% of the score and should be free of any insect damage, mechanical damage and fading of color. Westfall added that there are 15 recognized colors of dahlias.
Westfall serves as a senior judge at the show. The 89-year-old has been growing dahlias since 1961. He said he has been exhibiting dahlias for almost 60 years.
His interest in dahlias began at Scotts, where he worked for 33 years.
“Early after I got there one of the coworkers brought in a dahlia, and I was impressed so we grew a few, and that’s how it all began,” the Ohio State alumnus explained.
As for his current blooms, Westfall said “overall it’s been a pretty decent growing year.”
He said the ideal conditions for dahlias are time in the sun in the morning then shade in the late afternoon “especially when it’s really hot.”
“Dahlias really like the fall weather, but they do well even in July and August, providing that it doesn’t get too awful hot,” Westfall said. “In the cooler temperatures, the colors are a lot more vibrant. We’ll get a lot of fading on some of the colors when it’s really, really hot.”
He added that dahlias will bloom “until we get a frost.”
After the annual show, the dahlias are donated to local nursing homes. Westfall said Master Gardeners in the area help provide containers for the flowers and transport them to nursing homes.
Personally, Westfall donates dahlias from his garden to the show’s sponsors and individuals for major events like weddings.
“It’s nice for others to enjoy them,” he said.
With his reputation as “Mr. Dahlia,” Westfall has a fully double dahlia with pink and yellow petals named in his honor. The flower is featured on the Greater Columbus Dahlia Society’s logo.
In addition to the annual show, the society hosts bouquet arrangement classes, tuber sales and plant sales.
For more information about the society, visit www.columbusdahlias.com.
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Tara Harper is pictured bringing in dahlias to be judged at the Greater Columbus Dahlia Society’s Annual Dahlia Show at the Union County Family YMCA armory last year. The show returns Labor Day weekend.
(Photo submitted)