Dazzling Dahlias

Herb has lost count of how many ribbons he's won, but he still remembers his first show like it was yesterday, especially one of the judge's comments. She said, "Well, I've judged dahlias for many years, and I never saw blooms like that in the novice division. I just ran over and told the Helgesons, 'You'd better look out. There's a new kid on the block.'"

Well, now that new kid has been crowned the king of dahlias. He cares and protects his blooms like they were royalty, covering every inch of them with umbrellas to provide shade from the hot sun and shelter from the rain. And then there's Herb's special invention, called a neck stretcher. It supports the bloom so that it doesn't sag during hot weather. The angle of the yoke holds the bloom at the proper flower angle, which is preferably about 45 degrees.

Of course, these amenities are nice, but Herb says the true secret to growing big, beautiful dahlias starts with planting quality tubers in fertile soil. Constant pruning is also key to growing championship dahlias. Herb removes all canes, except for the ones with the best blooms. That way, all the plant's energy is sent to the show blossoms. And right before the show, Herb's a busy guy. He does most of his cutting after the sun goes down to ensure freshness. Imagine doing this in the middle of the night. He ties them so that they don't touch each other.

Once the blooms are all cut, Herb has a special setup in his van to transport them to the competition. The first stop for these dahlias is the staging area. Here, it's a family affair, with Herb's daughter, granddaughter and daughter-in-law, who make sure the dahlias look their best according to the judges' rules. They use little foam wedges to arrange them just right, with perfectly straight stems.

Once Herb's dahlias look presentable, they end up in the competition showroom among thousands of others. Judges take a close look at the size, the form and the color, scrutinizing every inch of the bloom. The petals look as though they have a little spring and bounce to them.

In the end, as Herb checks out the final results, it's no surprise that once again he has made it into the Court of Honor, receiving awards for his championship blooms in the most prestigious categories.