It’s a labour of love tending to the 500 dahlias that bring an array of colour to the garden of 85-year-old Joyce Read of Ashburton.
But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Joyce has been growing dahlias for about 50 years and spends about three hours a day in her garden among the 300 varieties of the dahlias she grows.
She has no favourite, she loves them all, their colours and forms.
Joyce and her late husband moved from the country to town 43 years ago and she transplanted 60 dahlia’s to her new home.
While Joyce still shows dahlias in Ashburton Dahlia Circle competitions, she no longer enters national shows.
This week Joyce will host a visit from one of the many local resthomes who take residents for a visit to her garden.
Residents and helpers wander among the many beds, all colour co-ordinated, of dahlias before enjoying refreshments in the garden.
‘‘Seeing how much the residents enjoy the gardens makes all the work worth it,’’ she said.
‘‘I like to have the groups visit and share my garden with them. I give them ice cream and fruit salad to enjoy as they sit outside taking in the gardens, flowers, fruit and veges,’’ she said.
Each year Joyce lifts each dahlias and its stake, divides and splits its tuber, discarding the old ones, before deep digging the garden and replanting each plant.
‘‘I discard the old rubbishy tuber as the new tuber is where the starch is that provides the food for the plant,’’ Joyce said.
New pom-poms, spikes, ball, large and minute dahlias are created each year by national and international cultivators.
‘‘There are many good New Zealand breeders of the Dahlia,’’ Joyce said.
Joyce is a member of the Ashburton Dahlia Circle and is very happy to see the group growing especially with younger members joining.
‘‘I’m happy to share my knowledge and pass of tips and advice especially to the newer members to encourage and help them‘‘ Joyce said.
Ashburton will host the national dahlia show next year, with many classes on show.
