The Great Smoky Mountain Trial Garden
by Buddy and Kelly Dean
At an elevation of 3486' Cashiers North Carolina is known for many things; unique shops, golf courses, community festivals and now the Great Smoky Mountains Trial Garden. The journey began in 2006 when a display garden was planted. The garden was small but beautiful and the public embraced it and interest began to escalate. In 2007 the Village Green Conservancy offered the Carolinas Dahlia Society ample space and the means to take the garden to a higher level. So began the probationary period for a sanctioned ADS garden.
This year the society was pleased with entries from 6 hybridizers from across the nation for a total of 11 varieties. The garden was planted Memorial Day weekend with plants that had been started in the Hilltop Gardens greenhouse. The weather wasn't as cooperative as we would have liked with extremes ranging from severe drought with intervals of excessive rain. If it did rain, it literally came down in buckets, a typical feast or famine. Through the work and dedication of the volunteers the garden flourished.
In addition to the new varieties there were 100 named cultivars and an impressive border of over 100 Gallery Dahlias. Named varieties were used on the borders of the fence to give the public and photogs a general feel for variety, color and texture. Every visit to the garden proved to be a question and answer session for those ages 3 to 93. The fascination was more than we could have ever dreamed. The community has been hooked.
Of the 11 seedlings planted 9 made it through the season. The highest scoring seedling was Hilltop Stella from Kelly and Buddy Dean. Stella is a bi-color Stellar that caught the eye of the public and judges alike and finished the season with an average score of 87. Campos Kelly D (medium semi-cactus yellow) was another nice variety with many blooms of show quality. This variety which also does well in hot climates will be a new contender for the class. Two varieties from Kevin and Karen Larkin of Corralitos Gardens were also entered. I will not say more about them for now as other Trial Gardens will officially see them in the 2008 season but I expect them to score and possibly score very well in the next year.
We are proud to have this Trial Garden in the area and look forward to many years of operation. It provides a tremendous opportunity for judges by giving them ample resources in which to fulfill scoring requirements and doubles as a lure to attract future growers from the public. Have a great 2008 season and keep those new seedlings coming.
About Buddy Dean
Buddy Dean, president of Hilltop Gardens, Inc., is a landscaper by trade, but a trained Dahlia master at heart. Dean is responsible for The Village Green's Dahlia Trial Garden, which is under consideration to be sanctioned nationally.
Claiming to be the largest commercial distributor of exhibition Dahlia varieties in the southeast, Dean has created a piece of flower heaven, holding over 2,500 plants just off of Zeb Alley Road in Cashiers. Having been a hybridizer for about 10 years, Dean takes his Dahlias to competitions and exhibitions across the country. The Dahlia starts blooming in mid-July and blooms through the first frost of the year. There are 15 colors and color combinations, with 19 petal formations and over 57,000 different varieties. Dean has over 500 different varieties at his garden. People wishing to view Dean's garden can do so by appointment only by calling Dean at 743-2951.