Decades of dahlias: One gardener's obsession

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by Kym Pokorny, The Oregonian

Marv Bondarowicz/The OregonianDahlias come in all sizes, including the giant 'Pearson's Pride.'

Bob Bloomfield explains his devotion to dahlias simply: "They're beautiful."

There's no arguing that. Intricate swirls of petals arrange themselves in so many designs it takes 19 categories to classify them, those further divvied up into size and color. Don't think that intimidates Bloomfield. At 92, he's handled thousands of dahlias, won hundreds of ribbons and come up with about a dozen of his own varieties, several named after his wife, Myrtle, who is 93.

Marv Bondarowicz/The OregonianMyrtle Bloomfield followed her husband, Bob, into the world of dahlias. Otherwise, she says, "I'd be a widow."

Portland Dahlia Society Annual Auction and Sale

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday,
April 14
Where: Rose City Park United Methodist Church, 5830 N.E. Alameda St.
Information: Portland Dahlia Society, portlanddahlia.com; Teresa Bergman, 360-274-8292; Jeanette Benson, 503-649-4118

For most of the year, the two nonagenarians spend part of every day grubbing about in the garden, sharing the joy with people who are lucky enough to be neighbors or friends.

"People stop in to pick dahlias," says Myrtle, the creases around her eyes fanning out in a sweet smile. "We leave baskets of vegetables for people to take."

Larry Smith, a neighbor and immediate past president of the Portland Dahlia Society, testifies to the couple's generosity. He is, after all, one of the beneficiaries. Smith, who rides his bike more than he drives his car, was pedaling past the Bloomfields' house in Southeast Portland in the early '90s and noticed the dahlias.

"I sucked him in good," says Bob, his smile just as committed as his wife's.

Smith laughs. "Dahlia growers are junkies," he says. "Those who've been around awhile are pushers."

Marv Bondarowicz/The Oregonian'Christmas Star'

Marv Bondarowicz/The Oregonian'Glenbank Twinkle'

Not that it took much to entice Smith into a healthy dahlia addiction. He'd been entering vegetables into state and county fairs since 1962, when he was 11, and has more than 500 ribbons to his credit.

"I haven't missed a year at the fairs," he says, deservedly proud.

And though he doesn't do it for the dough, the winnings -- $350 at one fair -- help feed his habit. "It pays for fertilizer, tubers, other things."

Marv Bondarowicz/The Oregonian'April Dawn'

Marv Bondarowicz/The Oregonian'Spartacus'

Still, he's an amateur compared with Bob, who started growing dahlias in 1953, joined the dahlia society in 1956 and soon became a daunting foe in competitions.

"That was in the old days when they judged in black suits. They looked like pallbearers," says Bob, who also remembers buying tubers from the Netherlands for 12 to 13 cents apiece.

Good thing, too, since by 1963, 1,000 dahlias grew in the Bloomfields' backyard. More than you'd imagine ended up in competition.

"One time I rented a U-Haul to bring them all to the show," he says without embarrassment. "I'm still the laughingstock in the dahlia society."

Hardly. His accomplishments, including a stint as president in the '60s, earned him the American Dahlia Society Gold Medal 10 years ago, an honor Smith calls "the lifetime achievement in dahliadom."

"Every year Bob says, 'Nope, I'm out of it,'" Smith says. But Bob keeps on. Last year, with Myrtle's help, he raised 100 dahlias, their beauty just as irresistible as they were 56 years ago.

-- Kym Pokorny; kympokorny@news.oregonian.com

Marv Bondarowicz/The Oregonian'Bishop of Llandaff'

Marv Bondarowicz/The Oregonian'Pam Howden'

TIPS FOR GROWING DAHLIAS

Marv Bondarowicz/The OregonianDahlia tubers

• Plant tubers when soil temperature reaches 60 degrees. (Use a simple, inexpensive soil thermometer available at garden centers and home improvement stores). Generally, in low-lying areas in the Willamette Valley, this means early to mid-May, two to three weeks later at higher elevations.

• Annually add organic material such as well-aged compost to the soil.

• Add a handful of bone meal or blood meal to the planting hole.

• For stronger, more compact plants, pinch back to the terminal shoot when they get about a foot tall. At the same time, feed with a 5-10-10 fertilizer. Thereafter, use a liquid fertilizer once a month.

• Snip off dead blooms to keep plants flowering.

• Dig up tubers after plants die back or any time after they have been in the ground for at least 120 days. Store in vermiculite or cedar shavings.

• If you prefer to leave them in the ground, cut stalks back to 2 inches above ground level and insulate with compost or straw to prevent possible freezing of tubers

• Instead of mulch, Larry Smith covers cut-back stalks with a plastic grocery bag and holds it in place with a rubber band. Spread out the remainder of the bag around stalks, and anchor with soil or compost. Other options include foil or a tin can. These methods prevent rotting as well as freezing.

• For more extensive information, go to Swan Island Dahlias at dahlias.com or the Portland Dahlia Society at portlanddahlia.com.

SOURCES

• Swan Island Dahlias, Canby; dahlias.com, 503-266-7711, 800-410-6540; garden open Aug. 29-31 and Sept. 5-7

• Frey's Dahlias, Turner; freysdahlias.com, 503-743-3910, 866-878-7151; garden open mid-August to mid-October

• Cowlitz River Dahlias, Castle Rock, Wash.; dahlias4u.com, 360-274-8292 (information only); garden open mid-August to mid-October