Bringing the Blooms: How the Badger State Dahlia Society Supports Our Gardens

If you've admired the dazzling dahlias throughout Rotary Botanical Gardens over the years, you have a group of dedicated volunteers to thank: members of the Badger State Dahlia Society (BSDS).

Volunteers planting 100s of tubers in the gardens this year.

Founded in 1946, BSDS is a Madison-based club and a local branch of the American Dahlia Society, part of the Midwest Dahlia Conference. Its mission is simple: bring together novice and experienced growers alike to promote the growing and exhibition of dahlias. Nearly 80 years later, that mission is alive and well right here at Rotary Botanical Gardens (RBG).

A Longtime Presence in Our Gardens

Many BSDS members are also RBG volunteers, and their expertise shows in every bed. Last spring, three of them, Dee Nutter, Mary Story, and Sherrie Karow, led our Garden Speaker Series with a three-part "Intro to Growing Dahlias" class, walking attendees through planning, planting, and caring for dahlias from spring through fall. Between them, they bring decades of hands-on knowledge (Sherrie alone has been growing dahlias for 62 years), and they generously share it with our community year after year.

That kind of dedication is exactly why our dahlia gardens are able to dazzle from midsummer straight through the first frost.

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Supporting Our Gardens Beyond the Blooms

BSDS's generosity goes beyond volunteer hours. The Society provided a grant to support our irrigation project, helping ensure our dahlias, and the gardens around them, get the consistent watering they need to thrive. BSDS and its individual members have also donated tubers to RBG over the years, helping expand the variety and vibrancy of our dahlia displays.

A Special Thank You to Dee Nutter

We want to give a special shoutout to Dee Nutter, whose contributions to RBG go above and beyond. From teaching classes to sharing her dahlia expertise with staff and volunteers alike, Dee has been an invaluable partner in helping our dahlia gardens flourish and in helping with our irrigation system. Thank you, Dee, for everything you do!

Learn More

Want to grow your own dahlias, or connect with fellow dahlia lovers? Learn more about the Badger State Dahlia Society at https://badgerdahlia.org/.

To Dee, Mary, Sherrie, and the entire Badger State Dahlia Society: thank you for helping make Rotary Botanical Gardens bloom. We're grateful for your partnership, your knowledge, and your generosity.

Photos taken by Marsha Mood Photography