By Anne W. Semmes
There were an impressive number of colorful, eye-popping dahlias of all shapes and sizes with some 400 growers displaying their green thumbs in this year’s 15th Annual Dazzling Dahlia Show last weekend, hosted by the Greenwich Dahlia Society at its parenting Greenwich Botanical Center.
And once again, it was those dinnerplate sized AA dahlias that grabbed the eyes and the judges. And who should again take the top prizes but veteran grower Jesse Peterson from Harwinton, CT. “The climate was very favorable for dahlias,” says Peterson, “Not a lot of over 90-degree days.”
Peterson’s “King of the Show” was explosive in beauty with its variety name of Hollyhill Big Pink (Best Single AA), and his “Queen of the Show” (Best Single A) the Doris B variety.
“Hollyhill Big Pink is a high win variety as compiled from dahlia shows across the country,” tells Peterson. And Doris B he started growing “because it was originated by a former Connecticut Dahlia Society member.” Both varieties he’s found grow well in his northwest area.
Peterson has been growing and displaying dahlias for nearly 30 years. “I joined the Dahlia Society around 1995,” he shares. And what inspired him from the get-go? “I wasn’t good at growing vegetables and a work friend asked me if I wanted to try growing dahlias.” Peterson has seen the number of varieties of dahlias swell to over 45,000 varieties.
So, what counsel might this frequent prize-winner give to aspiring dahlia growers? “Join a local dahlia society and get involved. Consider becoming a dahlia judge.”
So, Anthony Marzullo Jr. of Stratford is an aspiring dahlia grower. His dinnerplate size entry in this competitive show was eye-popping for sure but won no prizes. It’s inspired variety name is My Hero. “It’s two-toned with purple on one side of a petal and silver on the reverse which adds to its beauty,” says Marzullo. And it is beautiful!
“My Hero is a relatively recent introduction (2019),” says Marzullo, “so that was one of the reasons I started growing it. It is a variety off the parent plant named Nick Sr., which I also grew at one time.” Marzullo has been growing dahlias for “about five years” and is of the mind those large AA varieties are “the most impressive flowers when displayed,”
So, at last year’s Dazzling Dahlias show Marzullo did receive a couple of blue ribbons in the novice category for his My Hero and another variety. And earlier this year he made the awards table at the Connecticut Dahlia Society show in West Hartford in the novice category, again with his My Hero variety plus a smaller Tipsy variety in the BB size. He is most definitely gravitating to “the experienced category.”
So, with Marzullo the apple does not fall far from the tree – from his Greenwich dad, Anthony “Tony” Marzullo Sr. And placed not far from his son’s My Hero was his rosy-purple dinnerplate variety called Emory Paul. “The dinnerplate is 10-inches across, but mine,” says proud Marzullo Sr., “was 11-inches in diameter.”
Marzullo Sr. has been growing dahlias since he became a member of the Westchester Horticultural Society in 1980. It was that logo on the Society stationery of a dahlia that drew him in. He wanted to win a trophy for the Society’s dahlia contest. A longtime member of the Connecticut Dahlia Society, he’s had entries every year but one in the Dazzling Dahlia show and won the top King of the Show prize in 2012 he tells. “It was the dinnerplate Kelvin Floodlight Dahlia variety, color yellow. I love that yellow!”
