• Variegated:  Distinct lines of random colors.
  
• Light Blends:  Main color of petal is darker, fading to lighter on the tips and centers.
  
• Dark Blends:  Main color of petal is lighter, fading to a darker color on the tips and centers

.

• Bicolor:  Most notably the red and white flowers.
  
  
  
  Stem Length:  Above the first set of leaves, the stem length should be 2 to 2.5 times the width of the flower.
• Stem Thickness:  Should be fairly thin, but not too thin!(bowing or bending will knock off points with the judge!).

And Judging!

We won 13 ribbons
out of 23 entries! 
Congratulations!
(photos are found here:  http://dgimages.smugmug.com/gallery/9018838_oJnek#599908530_JkteX  )

Patti Duron           1^st Place        ‘Woodland’s Merinda’             BEST OF SHOW!

Patti Duron           1^st Place        Dahlia small bicolor

Wave Stonerock    1^st Place        ‘Rusty Bucket’               Class 27

Susan Silva-Treadwell  1^st Place    Large flowering Red      Class 4

Susan Silva-Treadwell  1^st Place    Red/white bicolor         Class 12

Susan Silva-Treadwell  1^st Place    Purple                         Class 2

Susan Silva-Treadwell  1^st Place    Cactus                        Class 31

Patti  Duron                2^nd Place   ‘Juul’s Star’                  Class 35

Susan Silva-Treadwell 3^rd Place                                       Class 33

And if you would love to see more great dahlia images, check out Joe Sabol's online photo album. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joesabol/sets/72157606094398257/


Special Gardening tips from Kevin and Karen,
1.  Sanitation!!!  Clean up old leaf litter and debris, especially over the winter!
2.  As soon as the soil warms up, start messing around with the soil above your dahlia to see if earwigs are already present!  Try setting different traps for earwigs such as rolled up paper, tubes (or old canes of giant bamboo).  They love to crawl in and hide during the day and then you can just toss them out!
3.  Snails and Slugs- Using iron-based snail bait is effective and safe around pets!
4.  Staking is essential!  The slightest breeze can snap off a giant dahlia flower!  Tomato Cages, obelisks and iron stakes with string can all be used.
5.  Nitrogen and Calcium are two important fertilizers for strong dahlias- just don't over do it!  Too much nitrogen will mean too lush of growth (and less flowers), too much calcium may mean too thick of stems and too much of any fertililizer is wasteful and a pollutant to our ground water!

AND a very special thank you to Nell and Mary B who helped stage all of the flowers and deliver them and to Marylou who was our emailing liason for the new class and the dahlia project!

AND did we mention Zucchini's!!!!
Chris Cocchiaro and Gene Schroeder both came through with a basket of zucchinis! 

Congratulations to Gene who placed 2nd! 

Thank you to TK Hardwick for being the Zucchini Gardening Liason for this project!