Kale Lane Dahlias is a dahlia farm in Whatcom County, WA, focused on growing and hybridizing dahlias of all forms and sizes. What started off as five dahlias in 2013 has turned into 5,000 in 2025. I, Allison, run the business as the dreamer, hybridizer and grower of this incredible flower. Cody helps with everything in between and makes sure I don’t get too out of control.

Had you asked me 10 years ago if I would be a stay at home mom running a dahlia farm I would have likely chuckled and politely responded with some form of “yeah right!” I was much too busy with my head down in the day to day grind of chasing my career. I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst specializing in individualized treatment for young children on the Autism spectrum. I fully loved working in the field for fifteen years.

In 2019 we found ourselves faced with a major life change.  Life came to a complete halt when Cody had a serious mountain bike accident and severe traumatic brain injury.  Our focus and way forward was Cody's health and healing. With the Lord's grace, despite the medical professional’s expectations, Cody healed remarkably quick and has recovered well.

Then life moved on, in a different way. A year later the pandemic hit, and it became pretty clear our family needed me to stay at home. I left work in late 2021. That is when the dahlia hobby became a business.

In 2022, we expanded from 100 dahlias to over 1,000. We had roughly 300 planted when we were presented with the opportunity to buy out a retiring farm. Within a few short days, my mom and I took a one day roundtrip down to Central Oregon to pick up tubers, friends came over to rip up sod, and in a flash we planted about 800 more!

Meanwhile, I was becoming more involved with the Whatcom County Dahlia Society and the Whatcom County Master Gardeners. I met so many wonderful people in that time of transition, a few who would become dear friends and mentors, including Dick Porter and Steve and Sandy Boley. I am continually amazed at the wealth of knowledge openly shared within the dahlia show community here in the greater Pacific Northwest. We are so fortunate to have such dahlia giants. Because this knowledge has been so freely shared with us, I feel a strong sense of responsibility in passing on the same knowledge in the same manner. Dahlia growing should be accessible to everyone.

Dick Porter shared with me all his knowledge and supplies getting me started in dahlia exhibition. My first show was September 2022, I made head table for my Vase of 13 waterlilies (Sandia Bertha and Sandia Bliss) and I was hooked! I continue to have a heavy focus on exhibiting dahlias and sharing with others how to enter blooms. You’ll find us all summer long traveling to dahlia shows.

Steve and Sandy Boley of Birch Bay Dahlias have been instrumental in our hybridizing journey. Since receiving their guidance our hybridizing program has been flourishing. I cherish their friendship and mentorship. I really respect how they approach dahlia hybridization with an analytical curiosity and an equal amount of joy! Not to mention, as a waterlily lover, I can’t help but be a fan girl around the queen of waterlily dahlias!

I am fortunate that our oldest daughter enjoys dahlias. She takes dahlia exhibition very seriously. I am slowly losing garden space as she expands hers! Her focus is on open centered and micro dahlias. I would expect to see her have new introductions of her own in the coming years.

While she focuses on the little blooms, I focus on hybridizing collarettes and waterlilies, however, there are some new forms in the second year breeding patch. With our 2025 expansion of an additional half acre, Cody and I are now able to dedicate significant space to our hybridizing program. Roughly 2/5 of our garden is seedlings in production. Our current long term goal is to have a garden mostly of our own cultivars. It will take awhile to get there, but I am very excited for that day!

As we introduce varieties, cut flower dahlias will have the prefix Molly’s (named for our adorable doodle). Dahlias classified with the American Dahlia Society will have the prefix KLD (for Kale Lane Dahlias). We are excited for our first KLD introduction to be released in 2026! The first of many to come!

My friend, Joann of Blue Sky Dahlias and myself run the podcast, The Dig on Dahlias. Joann and I both have a strong sense of sharing dahlia history and dahlia growing knowledge. We have been having a blast interviewing and hearing the stories of other flower growers and dahlia nuts!

When we are not doing all the dahlia things, Cody and I enjoy our time with our two girls, who keep us much busier than the dahlias do. I am thankful for our dahlia garden that allows me to stay home, ultimiately allowing me to spend more time with the girls. In addition to chauffeuring our children around, our family loves spending time outdoors with the family and pup. Cody and I are both musicians and spend a lot of time both listening to music as well as playing music (mostly for our church)!

Kale Lane Dahlias came from a true love of dahlias. Even though I may not be chasing those career dreams from a decade ago, I am thankful for this life I am living. Frequently Cody and I will look at each other in disbelief of our current day to day. I love every moment of it. I am so fortunate to be constantly surrounded by the beauty of the dahlias, both the flower and community they provide.