Two longtime growers, Chris Dix and Curtis Maxwell, tend dahlias at The Gardens at Lake Merritt and prepare for a competition show scheduled for Aug. 30–31. Dix has grown dahlias about 30 years; Maxwell about 40 years. They visit several times weekly to care for rows of yellow, purple, pink, orange, and white blooms that attract passersby. The San Leandro Dahlia Society and volunteers maintain the beds without city funding, covering roughly $500–$600 annually for soil, fertilizer, stakes, and barricades. Many varieties are labeled and named after family members. The growers cross-pollinate to create new varieties, and new blooms must perform for three consecutive years before American Dahlia Society judging.
It's a sweltering Thursday afternoon at The Gardens at Lake Merritt, where longtime dahlia growers Chris Dix and Curtis Maxwell are tending to the colorful perennials adjacent to the Lakeside Park Garden Center. Dix and Maxwell are members of the San Leandro Dahlia Society who are currently preparing for the upcoming competition show at the center on Saturday, Aug. 30 and Sunday, Aug. 31.
Dix and Maxwell visit the garden a few times a week to care for every row in a sea of yellow, purple, pink, orange, and white flowers that draw curious passersby as they tour the grounds, which also include the Bonsai Garden. The San Leandro Dahlia Society and volunteers manage and tend the garden with no funding from the city, Dix said. On average, it costs $500-$600 a year for the materials, including soil, fertilizer, stakes, and barricades to prevent visitors from cutting the flowers.
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