Herbert Smith

"When a variety is still available 57 years later, you know it is a winner." Meet the Herbert Smith dahlia and Herbert Smith, the local dahlia hybridizer. This stunning dahlia with local history is the CDS Challenge Flower for 2024. Every year the Cincinnati Dahlia Society chooses a dahlia variety to grow as a group. When show time arrives in September, the challenge is to see who grew the best one. The Cincinnati Dahlia Society has a rich history and the 1960s were a particular busy time with local members actively hybridizing new varieties. Fast forward to March 2023 when Rusty Smith, Herbert Smith's grandson, left a Facebook post asking if anyone was growing Herb Smith varieties. That got the CDS president's attention. She started researching and found one of a half dozen varieties credited to Herb Smith still commercially available.

Class: 3205

Size: BB (small) 4-6"

Form: SC (semi-cactus)

Color: DP (dark pink)