Midwest Dahlia Conference
The American Dahlia Society (ADS) sponsors trial gardens across North America to provide a place for hybridizers to have their new dahlia cultivars evaluated. The Trial Gardens are generally located in parks or gardens where the public can visit and watch the dahlias grow and bloom. The ADS provides detailed specifications for the practices used to grow the dahlias and for the evaluation of the dahlias.
​
One such garden, the Bonneville Trial Garden, is located in Bristol, Indiana in the Bonneyvill Mills Park. Cammi Waggoner is the director. Learn more about trial gardens here.
​
Bonneyville Trial Garden
August 2026 Seminar and Picnic
August 15
​
​We’ll begin the day in the garden, examining and evaluating potential new varieties, submitted by their hybridizers. Then, after a potluck luncheon in the charming one-room schoolhouse, the afternoon session will focus on judging at a show.
This is a great way to sharpen your skills for the upcoming show season.
​
The day is a perfect mix of beauty, learning, and camaraderie—don’t miss it!
Each year in August, the Elkhart Dahlia Society hosts a judging seminar and picnic. Here are some pictures from previous events.
Photos by Pat Sadataki.