Our Breeding Goal

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When I started breeding dahlias, a few veteran hybridzers told me that the first thing I should do was figure out my breeding goal. I thought about it for quite a while. In the end, what was important to me and what I felt the Dahlia industry needs most of all is not a specific form or color but dahlias that can grow and thrive through viral infection. In short, my breeding goal is the overall health of the plant and as much resistance to infection as possible. So I started selecting seed parents that I have stood strong in my garden year after year without showing signs of infection.  

Photo Credit: Jeanna Shepard Photography