Pinelands princess. Thomas Edison. Noit de ete. Manor Jubilee. 

These are just a few of the tens of thousands of varieties listed in the American Dahlia Society’s “Composite Listing of Dahlias.” These flowers are unpredictable and exotic, known to excite a passion that courses through the hearts of the members of the Montana Dahlia Society, a local chapter of the American Dahlia Society in Northwest Montana. 

Every year, members participate in judging the dahlias/gladiolus and floriculture competition at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo. Beginning Friday morning, passersby at the Flathead County Fairgrounds could admire a dazzling array of flowers.  

Some petals were large and soft, while others budded in a honeycomb pattern. Several flowers featured a spectacle of brilliant pastels. Others offered a deep hue of purple, red or nearly black.  

The display belied a tough season for the flowers. Entries at the fair were down this year, with organizers pointing the blame squarely at the weather. The flowers are sensitive to temperature, and the fluctuation in hot and cold temperatures tamper with blooming. 

“Mother Nature’s the oddball you can’t count on,” said Montana Dahlia Society President Deann David. “You can give them all the water and love and nutrients, but if Mother Nature's environment is not helping, then nope.” 

She expects there will be more entries at the society’s next dahlia competition at the Kalispell Center Mall over Labor Day weekend, thanks to the recent warmer weather.  

Asked what her favorite type of dahlia is, David replied: “A blooming one.” 

THE MONTANA Dahlia Society was founded in 1989 by a group of passionate dahlia growers. Among them was Flathead County Community College founder and commercial dahlia grower Bill McClaren. 

McClaren was not only responsible for founding the Montana Dahlia Society, but also encouraged the growth of several societies outside of Kalispell. These include the 5 Valleys Dahlia & Glad Society in Missoula, the North Idaho Dahlia Society and the Alberta Dahlia and Gladiolus Society in Canada, according to the American Dahlia Society.  

This year’s competition was dedicated to McClaren, who died in 2018. He was responsible for introducing more than 100 new dahlia varieties, most of them named under the trade name “Alpen.”  

But Alpen dahlias have recently been hard to come by, several members lamented. The Montana Dahlia Society announced its search for Alpen dahlias through a social media post in February 2024. Former president of the society and senior judge Kathy David said the group wants to find as many existing Alpen dahlias as possible to reintroduce the flowers in Montana.   

Society member Martin Rippens, inspired by the search to locate McClaren’s trademark variety, suggested honoring this year’s competition after him.  

“We’ve had fun with it ... everybody got on the bandwagon,” Rippens said. 

One of McClaren’s varieties, a brilliant purple Alpen Pauline with large, soft petals, sat on display for the competition. Society member and judge Eileen Schmidt grew the flower from a tuber, or plant root, she found after conducting a long search. 

She’s one of a few volunteers who are making calls across the country to find Alpen tubers. 

“I just started ordering them, and then growing them, and then taking the cuttings and giving them to other members so we could increase our number,” Schmidt said.  

But what she didn’t expect was for this Alpen tuber to grow into a massive plant, that looked like it was easily 3 inches across in diameter.  

This variety of Alpen doesn’t grow very big, she said. Her flower was nearly twice as large as many of the other neighboring dahlias. 

“All of a sudden, there was this big honking bloom,” Schmidt said.  

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].  

    Dahlias on display at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Lois McClaren stands in front of a memorial for her husband Bill, who founded the Montana Dahlia Society, at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo on Aug. 15. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Alpen Pauline dahlias on display at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Alpen Pauline dahlias on display at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)