A dahlia with fragrance
Wayne Holland (British Columbia) raised this and seven other orchid
seedlings from T. McNulty X Wine Frost -- neither of which had scent
that he could detect. All of these seedlings are scented, but the one
shown here is several times more fragrant.
Wayne recently received the following message from Australia: The
NDSV President, Mr. Chris Michalopoulos has been carrying out work
on "Fragrant Dahlias." He is hoping to release a small range of these
next year. (Are there any updates on this release?)

Wayne recently had this to say: "The original (pictures), plus a
backlit one from this year. Growing away normally this year it
surprised me by being quite a bit larger than any of its sisters. It
has been blooming madly at 6.5". Larger bush also."

It is widely believed that dahlias do not have fragrance. However,
some dahlias with fragrance have been discovered or came into being
as a result of hybridization. This discovery is indeed exciting. I am
sure individuals involved in hybridization will be working to extend
the fragrance to other dahlias and increase the levels of fragrance
generally....Ben Lawrence. If anyone has a lead on any others please
let me know.

Also, are there any folks interested in organizing a Dahlia Society
for the North Coast in California. I live in Fortuna, and traveling
to San Francisco or Coos Bay (very nice people) is little hard to do
for many people. Perhaps cultivars living in Del Norte, Humboldt,
Trinity and Mendocino Counties might be interested in starting an
organization locally.

Thank you for your time, and enjoy the "Good Dahlia Karma."