Donna M. Lane
Donna has been dabbling in dahlias for nearly 30 years. Like many others, she was given a plant of ‘Park Princess’ by a co-worker and has been hopelessly hooked ever since. She advises people to persist if they have problems over-wintering dahlias. “I was frustrated because I had to buy new tubers each year, but I was determined to find a way to keep them from turning to mush. The way my co-worker stored them didn’t work for me,” she says. It took 5 years of experimenting before she found a method that was successful for her particular storage situation.
Donna’s philosophy? Live life to the fullest, laugh out loud every day, treasure your friends and family and if you love someone, tell them so! Try to find something good about each person you meet, maintain a positive attitude, and thank God for the many gifts He gives you each day.
A former marketing
communications professional, Donna is currently an interior designer, garden designer and
writer. Her weekly column, Notes from an Addicted
Donna belonged to the American Dahlia Society for several years before becoming a member of RIDS. “There is no dahlia society in Massachusetts, and I was unaware of the Rhode Island group,” Donna said. Through the parent organization, Donna learned about RIDS and came to a meeting prepared to join. However, she was a bit intimidated after listening to a heated debate about the classification of a particular dahlia and wondered why such a passionate discussion was taking place. After all, it was only a flower, right? Dot Taylor, RIDS President at the time, asked Donna to come back again the following month, assuring her that all the meetings were not that intense. That was 10 years ago and she’s been an active member ever since, serving as Secretary for 3 years, a member of the Executive Board for the past 5 years, and currently as Vice President and the Society’s liaison with the Preservation Society of Newport County at Green Animals. She is an Accredited Dahlia Judge and a Massachusetts Horticultural Society certified Principal Master Gardener. She has exhibited her dahlias at the Washington County Fair, RIDS Dahlia Show, Marshfield Fair and the Topsfield Fair.
Her garden is a destination for numerous garden clubs during September. “I have a small dahlia patch compared to others in the Society,” Donna says. “I only have room for about 150 plants, but I keep trying to squeeze in just one more every year.” Of the 150 plants, she has 82 different varieties.
Donna’s list of favorite dahlias is long, but here are a few that grow happily in her small patch.
Just Peachy
Weston Spanish Dancer
Michele Vloet
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