The Connecticut Dahlia Society
July 2015 Newsletter
Meeting Date: Sunday, July 12, 2015
Time: 2:00 pm Business Meeting, following this: A Round Table on “Ask the Experts”
Place: Thomaston Savings Bank, 985 Watertown Ave., Waterbury
President’s Message:
Hi Members!
I hope that all of you are having a nice summer and that your dahlias are doing well. May was dry and warm and had little rain, but June seemed to give us adequate rain and we hope for a show this year that will be as good as the one we had last year. We also hope that the season continues to be a great dahlia year as the ADS Centennial will be held on Long Island in mid September and we hope that many of you are planning to attend it.
For this meeting we are going to try something different and will have a short business meeting and then follow it by holding a “Round Table Discussion on Ask the Experts.” Please bring all of your questions to this meeting, whether they are on growing, exhibiting, storing, etc.We hope that all of our judges will also attend this meeting so that they can help answer the questions.
Also we will talk briefly about the plans for our August 9th Picnic at Steve Ruttkamp’s home in NY. It will be interesting to see how he grows and he says that he will have blooms by the August 9th date.
As usual we are looking for volunteers for our Display Garden in Elizabeth Park as we are missing some of our volunteers that helped out last year. Please find a way to help out there as our gardens are a spectacular display in the fall.
Donna Paternostro
Display Garden News:
I am writing this article for Jesse who is on vacation. The garden is doing well this year all plants are in good shape and the weeds are under control. No sign of insect damage is present and I just recently applied their first side dressing of fertilizer.
Our concern for the garden this year is the need for help, mainly during the weekdays, to help maintain them. The early part of the season does not require a lot other than watering and weeding. The need for help increases as they begin to bloom with watering, tying and deadheading. Please get in touch with me if you would like to help out
Marge, Display Garden Volunteer
In Memoriam
J. Arthur Kieffer 1921-2015
Art Kieffer passed away on June 29th at the age of 94. Art was a Life Member of our society. Art was predeceased by his his wife Sophie in 2013, they were very dedicated exhibitors to our shows in the ‘70’s and 80’s. Art was the Building Superintendent for Chemung County in NY and a medaled veteran of WWII. He was a mainstay in the Southern Tier Dahlia Society and the ADS having won the ADS Gold Medal in 2002 for his services to the ADS. He was known for his exceptional show quality dahlias in all of the sizes, but was partial to the miniatures. He is known for his originations of Joe K, Sophie K and Honka, to name a few of them. We send our sympathies to his son, James, daughter Suzanne and their families.
2015 CDS Meeting Dates:
Aug. 9 Annual Picnic & Judge’s Refresher, Steve Ruttkamp Residence, South Salem, NY
Aug. 29 CDS Dahlia Society 57th Annual Show, Pond House, West Hartford
Sep No Meeting, Show Month
Oct. 11 Thomaston Bank, October Bloom Competition
Nov. 8 Thomaston Bank
Dec. Christmas Party, date & place to be decided
2015 Show Schedules:
Aug. 15 Washington County Fair, hosted by the RIDS
Aug . 22 New Jersey Dahlia Society
Aug. 29 57th CT Dahlia Society Show & 45th North Atlantic Dahlia Conference Show
Sep. 5 Southern Tier Dahlia Society
Sep. 5 & 6 Long Island Dahlia Society
Sep 12 &13 Rhode Island Dahlia Society
Sep 19 & 20 ADS 100th Centennial Show by the Mid Island Dahlia Society at
Hofstra University, Hempstead, Long Island, NY Tours will be held
On Sept. 17, 18 and 21
Sep 26 & 27 Provincetown MA Dahlia Society
Oct. 3 & 4 Greenwich Dahlia Society
Oct. 10 & 11 Long Island Dahlia Society, 2nd Show