The Dahlia Garden, situated between the Peter Navarre cabin and Crosby Lake, contains 65 dahlia plants with approximately 50 varieties.

The dahlia tubers are planted in mid-May next to stakes that support the flowers after they grow to 12-24”. The plants are tied loosely to the stakes with twine. To create a compact, busy plant with many blooms, the growing point of the plant is pinched out when it is approximately 12” tall.

During the summer, dahlias need a thorough, deep watering every two weeks (more frequently if the weather is very hot). Insecticides are applied to the Dahlia Garden approximately every two weeks as well.

Dahlias bloom from mid July until the first frost. After the frost, the tubers are dug, cleaned, separated, labeled and stored in a cool area until the next growing season.

There are more than 50,000 variations in size, form and color of dahlias and they make excellent cut flowers.