Good Life Dahlias

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Stanwood, WA
Good Life Dahlias

Living the good life in the PNW, running, growing dahlias, and raising 5 kiddos!
(2)

06/06/2026

The dahlias are.... Growing. Yup, they're in the ground, doing their thing, but any extra time we've had after planting was finished has been filled with senior activities, and sports galore! Tonight we celebrated high school graduation, and an associate degree from the local community college. This dahlia lover will be off to new adventures in the fall, majoring in elementary education.

05/29/2026

A bunny update for those of you who were curious.....
In addition to mama, the entire bumper crop of rabbits in our area this year decided that they would jump over the hardware cloth, and through the larger holes of the cattle panels of the fence to give my plants an early pinching. Which means my husband dutifully spent an entire day last weekend adding another layer of hardware cloth to keep them out.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BABIES!!?? never fear, we left one little section open to a little corralled area with the nest and mama has been coming and feeding them without any issues. Eyes are open, and they are able to hop around, but still staying in the nest (but that is about to change!) The kiddos are loving having their own little nature lesson out there for a few weeks! Once they hit 3 weeks I'll move them outside the fence and they will be good to fend for themselves :)

05/27/2026

What do you do when a dahlia variety doesn't bloom at your house? At mine, they get a bonus year to redeem themselves, but if they don't produce, they lose their spot. No "third time's the charm" around here! Apparently I'm not quite so ruthless when it comes to other plants as I have a camilla that hasn't bloomed since the first year we planted it, and these irises have been hanging around for at least 4 years before they finally bloomed for the first time this spring. I guess the moral of the story is, if I don't have something better to replace you with, you can be a bit of a slacker and not get tossed in the compost :)
She's a looker though, and I'm so glad she finally showed her colors this year!

05/25/2026

Today I put the last 40 plants in the ground! Peonies, micros, and mignons. Last year, that collection included only 2 varieties- Stillwater Raspberry, and Kelsey Dwarf. This year they get their own section, and I'm super excited to see them bloom. These guys are growing in the vegetable garden because they are short and don't require staking, making them perfect for landscape plants, or growing in a pot. Joining the crew this year we have Kelsey Bramble, Radiance, Molly, and Amethyst. Lo- boom boom, Clara, and Tanager, and for the peonies Lakeview Creamsicle, Elvira, and Miss Muffet. Plus Suitzus Julie- a micro waterlily. Bring on the tiny perfection!
In other notes- we have our first buds on Lakehills Creamsicle and Florelie Seastar, and I somehow still have room to plant another 150 or so, so I guess I better start rummaging through the leftover tubers in the garage to see who else wants to be planted!

05/19/2026

Definitely not what I wanted to see when I came out to the Dahlia Garden this morning. Sometime in the last week since I planted this row, a mama bunny found her way into my fenced field and built a cozy little burrow for her babies loved with fur and fresh grass. Unlike the voles that I feel must be eradicated from my garden, I hold no ill will toward the rabbits. However, from experience last year, I know that these little buggers will Munch down all the smallest plants once they are big enough to emerge from their cozy space. Oh, what is a girl to do!?

05/18/2026

The moment you realize the formula on your spreadsheet was not summing ALL the rows, so the number of tubers you THOUGHT you had started, is not the same as the number of ACTUAL tubers you've started. 🤦‍♀️
I don't have a picture of that moment as it occurred tonight, so enjoy a few of the blooms around our house that are holding us over until the summer dahlias grace us with their presence :)

05/17/2026

Number of Dahlia blooms at my house currently?? Zero. But I'm already looking forward to show season! There is always more to learn, and new avenues to explore in the dahlia world!

05/13/2026

Oh the faith required to be a gardener! Right now the garden is unimpressive. A couple of rows of tubers planted, along with several rows of little plants. How on Earth do those meager offerings turn into the sanctuary that is my summer garden? Yes we water, we fertilize, we tend, but the transformation is spectacular, and I have faith that the long hours and hard work will bring a summer full of joy! Keep up the good work my friends, because the reward will be amazing!

05/11/2026

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, those who will become Moms, and those who share the mothering load teaching and loving our children, because heaven knows it takes a village! We have one kiddo left in elementary school, which means hand made crafts and gifts at the holidays. I think she nailed the dahlia theme this year😂
This afternoon we wandered out to the field and down the road hunting for some blooms so she could make a bouquet for her favorite neighbor. I gotta say, I'm a little light on the blooms this time of year, so just a couple of lilacs and hellebores amidst nature's offerings.
Dessert was a pot full of 'dirt' with gummy bears because we didn't have any worms, and I'm told there were a couple of unsuccessful attempts at fruit flowers that were left off, but oh what fun these kiddos are!

05/09/2026

Who am I? I'm a mom, a wife, an avid reader. I'm an occasional piano player, and a pretty decent cook. I'm a sometimes teacher, and definitely a grower of dahlias, but I'm also a runner. For a long time that was a label I didn't think I had earned because I wasn't fast, or running races. I got faster (but by no means Olympic competitor fast), and I ran lots of races. 5ks and marathons, and even a 50-Miler which was a terrible life choice, but I can check that one off my bucket list. My favorite was definitely the half marathon distance. I finally gave in to the label. 6 years ago today the world was a pretty crazy place with COVID. I needed a challenge, so I decided I would run every day for 30 days. Then 6 months, and then finally a year. I made it 365 days running every single day. But it had become such a part of me that I just couldn't give it up. So here I am, having run 2,190 days in a row- give or take a couple of leap years :)
6 years that I've committed to a run every day. Aside from training for a marathon with a friend, this year has seen pretty low mileage, and far fewer adventures. Running on the beach, wooded trails, and in the snow are at the top of my list, and I did all of those this year. I fit running in around my schedule instead of the other way around, and that's ok. It's part of who I am, and sometimes other parts of me need a little more time.
So cheers to another year! Another 365 days where I chose something hard because it makes my life a little bit better. Cheers to the good life of family, flowers, and RUNNING!

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Stanwood, WA

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http://GoodLifeDahlias.com/

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