{"id":435484,"date":"2026-08-17T18:58:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T18:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/435484\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T18:58:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T18:58:19","slug":"san-franciscos-dahlia-show-celebrates-a-century-of-floral-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/435484\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco\u2019s Dahlia Show Celebrates a Century of Floral Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This year\u2019s theme was \u201cSan Francisco Icons,\u201d with dahlia arrangements evoking the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, the Painted Ladies, Coit Tower and other city landmarks.<\/p>\n<p>Aug 17, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Updated 11:44 am PT<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-29-KQED.jpg\"  alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Selina Yep admires a dahlia at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the dahlia being named San Francisco\u2019s official flower.\u00a0(Gina Castro for KQED)<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">Hundreds of dahlias turned a corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco into a showcase of color, shape and genetic diversity this past weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">The Dahlia Society of California\u2019s annual show returned to the park, this time to mark the 100th anniversary of San Francisco naming the dahlia its official flower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">This year was themed \u201cSan Francisco Icons,\u201d with dahlia arrangements evoking the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, the Painted Ladies, Coit Tower and other city landmarks.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-18-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001729\"  \/>Single-bloom dahlias are displayed at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001724\"\/>Marzieh Yaghini admires a dahlia at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-25-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001733\"\/>A Golden Gate Bridge dahlia arrangement is displayed at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">Visitors wandered among rows of carefully cultivated blooms, many of them competing for ribbons and recognition from judges and, for attendees, simply offering a chance to slow down and look closely at a flower that can be surprisingly complex.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">\u201cOne of the reasons we love San Francisco is because there\u2019s so many different kinds of people here. And Dahlias are kind of the San Francisco of floral society,\u201d said Deborah Dietz, corresponding secretary for the Dahlia Society and longtime volunteer in Golden Gate Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">\u201cThere\u2019s 21 forms of dahlias, there\u2019s 15 official colors and there\u2019s five different sizes,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd that\u2019s just categories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001728\"\/>Judges examine dahlias at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001727\"\/>Members of the public enjoy the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001725\"\/>A Raeann\u2019s Tiger Eye dahlia is displayed at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001717\"\/>An Ask With Minnie dahlia is displayed at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">Dahlias can resemble water lilies, daisies, golf balls or spiky cacti. Some have multiple colors within a single petal. And because of their unusual genetics, new variations can arise through cloning and sexual reproduction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">Dahlia tubers can be divided into genetically identical plants, said Erik Gaensler, president of the Dahlia Society of California. But growing from seed produces something entirely new.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">\u201cIf you plant 100 dahlia seeds, most won\u2019t be that great,\u201d Gaensler said. \u201cSo we have some people in our society who will grow hundreds of seedlings, and they only save the best.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-22-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001731\"  \/>Jenna Kaiser, a dahlia ambassador with the Dahlia Society of California, poses for a photo at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-19-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001730\"\/>Ivy Lou, 70, takes a photo with dahlias at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001721\"\/>Addie Lee, 2, takes photos of dahlias at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">Those seedlings can be cultivated for years before eventually being named and entered into competitions. Many dahlias grown in San Francisco originated locally, Gaensler said, making them particularly well suited to the city\u2019s climate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">The flower\u2019s history in San Francisco dates back more than a century. When the Sunset and Richmond districts were undeveloped and still largely dunes, dahlias could thrive in the sandy soil. By the 1920s, several commercial dahlia growers operated in the area, and the Palace Hotel hosted annual shows. In 1926, the city officially adopted the dahlia as its flower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">For Dietz, that history is part of what makes the flower special, but so is the scientific curiosity surrounding it. Dahlias have eight sets of chromosomes and genetic elements that can shift around within their DNA, occasionally producing new traits.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-26-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001734\"  \/>Sir Richard Dahlias are displayed at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-24-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001732\"\/>Nathan Gomez makes petal art at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260815_SFDAHLIA_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001720\"\/>Natalie Samuels, left, and Abby Klinkenberg, right, admire dahlias at the annual Dahlia Show &amp; Competition at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">The Dahlia Society of America has funded work to map the dahlia genome, Dietz said, which could help researchers better understand which genetic sequences determine traits such as shape and color.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">That diversity was also what drew first-time visitors Natalie Samuels and Abby Klinkenberg to the weekend\u2019s show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">\u201cIt\u2019s a chance to reorient ourselves and connect to the things around us,\u201d Klinkenberg said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">Samuels said the flowers encouraged her to slow down and observe each individually, a welcome contrast to the pace of modern San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"blocks-v1-Paragraph-__Paragraph__paragraph wp-block wp-block-paragraph container\">You can see the winning blooms on the <a to=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sfdahliasociety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sfdahliasociety\/\">Dahlia Society\u2019s Instagram page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year\u2019s theme was \u201cSan Francisco Icons,\u201d with dahlia arrangements evoking the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-435484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}