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Dahlia Care Workshop
Saturday, April 4
from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
in the MCBG Propagation House
Join Janie Notmeyer of Janie's Dahlias and learn to grow dazzling dahlias. This workshop will teach you the basics of growing dahlias just before it is time to put your tubers in the dirt. Learn how to prepare the soil, where to plant, and how to plant dahlias. You’ll get your hands dirty potting up a tuber to take home and practice all you have learned. Janie will also teach you the best methods for staking, fertilizing, watering, pinching, deadheading, and a bit about keeping your plants healthy.
Janie has been growing dahlias for more than 35 years, both inland and on the coast. Last year alone, she cared for 525 plants featuring around 65 varieties.
The Details​
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The class will be held in the Propagation House; be prepared for cool temperatures with appropriate layers.
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We recommend bringing along drinking water, a notebook, and a pen.
Recommended Reading
Connie's Dahlias: A Beginner's Guide by Connie Thompson
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Workshop Registration
Class size is limited! Registration for this workshop must be completed in advance online or at the MCBG Store. The registration fee is $36.00 per participant or $26.00 for MCBG Members and covers your admission for the day. All fees are non-refundable unless the workshop has been canceled or rescheduled by the Gardens. ​​​​Proceeds support our nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
Registration – $36.00 per participant, includes Gardens admission for the day
Member Registration – $26.00 per current MCBG Member – sign in to access your discount​
About the Instructor
Janie Notmeyer owns and operates Janie's Dahlias, a small dahlia farm in Fort Bragg, California. She has spent over 35 years growing, learning, and loving dahlias in multiple gardens.
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Janie’s Dahlias is a love story. In November of 2008, Janie met Barry while she was living in the East Bay and he was in Mendocino. For seven years, they traveled to see each other every other weekend. In 2015, Janie made the move to Fort Bragg with her dad, “Big Jim”, got married to Barry, and started planting dahlias immediately. Her dad loved seeing the earlier dahlia beds but was unable to see the larger dream of Janie’s Dahlias come to fruition after passing away in 2017.
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Janie's love of dahlias turned into a dream to sell at the Farmer’s Markets in our local community. The dream very quickly turned into an obsession after her tuber supply exploded, and she needed more space to plant. Barry was all in, he quickly rallied some friends with equipment to get the first rows put in. In 2021, they planted over 250 dahlia plants with over 40 varieties. In 2022, they added more rows and planted over 525 dahlia plants with over 60 varieties. And they are still growing!
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Janie and Barry have learned so much over the years and continue to gain more knowledge by reading books, joining dahlia groups, visiting other farms, watching videos, and learning from their own mistakes.
Janie’s Dahlias now sells beautiful stems, tubers, and one-gallon starts at the Fort Bragg and Mendocino Farmers Markets from July - October. You may also find their pop-up on the weekends on Main Street in Fort Bragg.
Check out this great article in Word of Mouth magazine, Fort Bragg's Dahlia Queen Keeps Blooming, by Torrey Douglas