Farmer grows dahlias and develops new varieties ‘A HOBBY THAT’S GONE CRAZY’
Story by Pat Rubin • Photos by Lori Eanes
Like most California farmers, Kristine Albrecht likes to walk among the rows of crops at her Santa Cruz farm. She reaches down and picks up a handful of soil to check the moisture level. She pulls a plant toward her to inspect the flowers. She also watches weather reports and worries about heavy rains, destructive winds, spring hailstorms and late frosts. But that’s where the resemblance to most other farmers ends. Albrecht isn’t growing almonds or cherries or tomatoes or corn. She’s cultivating 2,000 dahlia plants, and, from May until October, her 1/4-acre plot is a riot of color. Plants towering 5 or 6 feet tall lean into the rows. Dahlia flowers in a variety of shapes and colors reach out to be noticed. Colors range from yellow and cream and white to red, purple and pink. Some colors are bright and bold, while others are quiet and understated. Her cactus-type dahlia flowers can be a foot or more across while the pom-poms can be less than an inch each. Colorful creations For almost 18 years, Albrecht has run Santa Cruz Dahlias, an organic dahlia farm. She’s built a reputation for being one of the top dahlia growers and hybridizers in the country. With the eye of an artist and the mind of a scientist, she’s produced new color varieties for both show and the florist trade. In fact, her cultivars in soft hues of burgundy and pink and blush are in high demand with florists and wedding planners as well as home gardeners. Her new introductions often sell out in minutes. Albrecht’s work with dahlias began almost accidentally. An experienced gardener, she grew giant pumpkins with her son but dabbled with dahlias in her flower beds. Her husband, Brian, suggested they use the flowers in their bed and breakfast. “He wanted flowers in the rooms,” she explains. “We went from a few tubers to 60 to a couple thousand. We needed more room. We had a fallow piece of property at the time. It was flat and used to be a chicken farm.”
Kristine Albrecht, left, works at her 1/4-acre Santa Cruz farm among her dahlias, which come in an assortment of colors, sizes and shapes.
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