This is the time of year when dahlias are blooming and showing off the amazing variety of colors and flower shapes that characterize this wonderful plant. If you’ve ever thought about growing these summer stunners but don’t have the know-how, join Clallam County Master Gardener and dahlia devotee Gary McLaughlin for the Green Thumb Education Series Presentation, “Growing Dahlias Successfully.”

The Green Thumb Education Series presentation “Growing Dahlias Successfully” will be held in person on Thursday, August 24th from noon – 1:00 p.m. at the Port Angeles Library’s Carver Room, 2210 S. Peabody St. in Port Angeles.

Find a direct link to the live presentation here.

Or join by phone: 253-215-8782

Meeting ID: 936 2989 8830

Passcode: 676224

Gary will discuss the ins-and-outs of growing dahlias including info on when, where, and how to plant them. He will also delve into what to do as they are growing—watering, fertilizing and grooming—and how to eliminate any pests or diseases that may afflict dahlias. Gary will provide tips on how to keep them blooming and what to do with them after they stop blooming in the fall. He will also offer advice on where to purchase dahlias, how to shop smartly for them and where to find good information on this amazing plant.

Shortly after Gary began his teaching career in Port Angeles, a colleague and neighbor gave him a few dahlia tubers to grow. Four decades later that gift paved the way to a dahlia garden that now features over 60 different varieties of the more than 100 plants he grows. In addition to his home garden, Gary manages the dahlia garden at the Master Gardeners’ Woodcock Demonstration Garden in Sequim.

The Green Thumb Education Series, sponsored by the Washington State University Clallam County Master Gardeners, is held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month through October. In November, December, and January, one lecture is offered. Scheduled presentations are subject to change. Visit the WSU Extension Clallam County website calendar for the latest information on upcoming presentations. For questions, call 360-565-2678.