About me and Dahlias

I started growing Dahlias 50 years ago.  My childhood was spent growing up on a nursery that specialised in Dahlias, Chrysanthemums and Delphiniums.  I even had a small pom named after me in the mid-50's; I had found a sport on Little Beeswing that was grown on and named Master Richard, sadly now lost.  This was the Grove Nurseries, Kent,  and owned by Stuart Ogg - the "King of Dahlias" who was my godfather.  My grandfather, Edmund (always known as Ted) and father, Peter, worked on the nurseries as Nursery Manager and Office Manager respectively.  The Grove Nurseries were the first flower grower to win the coveted Brockenhurst Trophy Gold Cup at the Southport Flower Show in 1963; I helped stage that show and many others.  You could say that Dahlias are in the blood