The Colorado Dahlia Society has been in existence since the mid 1950s. Mr. Henry Precht, a nurseryman of Eaton, Colorado, personally sponsored the first few shows. In response to the public’s enthusiasm, he and several other dahlia enthusiasts formed the Colorado Dahlia Society. The first formal Colorado Dahlia Society show was held at the 1st National Bank in Greeley, Colorado, in 1958, and since that time, a show has been held every year in northern Colorado.
Over the years, additional shows have been held in Brush, Northglenn, Denver, and Ft. Collins, Colorado, and at the Boulder County Fair in Longmont, Colorado.
In 1975, the Colorado Dahlia Society sponsored the National Show of the American Dahlia Society held at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
The Colorado Dahlia Society meets monthly on the 2nd Sunday of most months from February thru October. Club members take a turn every couple of years arranging and hosting a meeting. This gives us each an opportunity to see the various “Dahlia Patches” and to learn from each other. In 1998 we held our first out-of-state meeting when we ventured to North Platte, Nebraska, for a garden tour and meeting.
Each meeting is an informal get together and potluck. Members are asked to bring a dish, their own table service, and a sense of adventure. Our membership is spread across rural Northern Colorado, and sometimes getting there can be an adventure in map reading and navigating unpaved roads.
The Colorado Dahlia Society is an affiliate of the American Dahlia Society, and its purpose is to “stimulate interest in and to promote the culture and development of the dahlia.” Our three main functions in support of this goal are an annual spring tuber sale, a summer Dahlia Show and this website.
One of the significant benefits of membership in our society is the annual tuber swap we have at the spring meeting prior to our tuber sale. We all bring excess tubers for the tuber sale, and we give our members first chance to trade tubers or expand their collections at no charge. This can be a valuable and money-saving opportunity for new members.