Community Garden Club blossoming Dahlias and Dwarf Mexican Petunias

“Flowers grow patience and they give hope when they bloom.”

The Community Garden Club of Marlin held its first meeting of the new year 2022-2023 at the Senior Citizens Center on Friday, September 16, 2022. Guest speaker was Jewel Dawes, who gave an illustrated lecture on how to successfully plant, grow, dig, and store dahlias. Her presentation included great tips for preparing the planting plus creative designs using dahlias that will add interest and spark to any flower garden.

Dahlias are garden border all-stars that make gorgeous cut flowers, too! They are grown from tubers (similar to a bulb, but thin-skinned like a potato). Planted tubers in the Spring in a full sun location (giving them 6-8 hours of direct sunlight) will bloom all summer long, providing color and an abundance of flowers for cutting.

The more you cut a dahlia plant the more it will bloom!

In a separate mini-lecture, Club President Terri Glover introduced the Dwarf Mexican Petunia, named a Texas Superstar by Texas A&M University. Dwarf Mexican Petunias are very adaptable and will tolerate wet and dry soils. They prefer full sun but will tolerate shade; however, since flowering is light-related, the plants will flower less in shade. 

“….They are disease- and insect-resistant and only rarely bothered by snails and caterpillars!” (AGRILIFE TODAY May 21, 2002)

The Marlin Community Garden Club was the first gardening club in the state of Texas, founded almost 100 years ago in 1923 by Ida Pauleen Linthicum. 

Throughout its 99+ years’ history, the Community Garden Club has hosted educational lectures focusing on a variety of different gardening topics, including garden design and botanical histories. The garden club promotes the love of gardening, floral design, horticulture, civic responsibilities, landscaping, environmental concerns, and joy in  gardening for men, women and children. It serves the community of Marlin by engaging in civic beautification projects of local parks, city and county grounds, and county hospital. 

The Marlin Community Garden Club holds monthly meetings plus club socials.

Officers for the 2021-2023 are President Terri Glover, Vice President Sheila Lawson, Treasurer Letitia Estep, Secretary Marjorie Fiola, and Parliamentarian Susan Byrd.

Interested in gardening? Contact Terri Glover at (254) 230-6228.