My hybridizing journey began in 2020 when on a whim I decided to collect dahlia seed from collarettes in my collection. Prior to this, Cody and I had been growing dahlias since 2013 when we purchased our first home. In spring of 2021, I excitedly grew around 10 seedlings. This resulted in a handful of open centered blooms that became an incredible joy to watch open for the first time. I was hooked!

While I find it very important to know and acknowledge the characteristics of dahlias set by the American Dahlia Society, I do find there are exceptionally beautiful flowers outside of show quality blooms. So for now, we will pursue seedlings that we find both good for show and perfect for the garden. Blooms we find fit for the show bench will have the prefix KLD (for Kale Lane Dahlias) and those more suited as a garden flower will have the prefix Molly’s (our sweet garden helping goldendoodle’s name).