Dazzling Dahlia Festival 2024

Highlands 14th annual dahlia tradition grows and blooms

Story and photos by Kristin E. Landfield

Each year, just as summer’s long days begin to shorten, dahlia season on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau begins in full glory. From mid-summer to fall, exuberant dahlia blooms shine in local gardens; they adorn tables of many restaurants and cafés, and at local events and parties, vibrant dahlia flowers often play the set piece. A single full bloom can be an arrangement unto itself. Dahlias have long been a celebratory flower of early autumn, cultivated to present an astonishing spectrum of colors—from creamy white to nearly black-red. The genera’s broad array of warm hues is especially suited to the softer light of late summer and fall. Now that we have crested the slope of the warm months, autumn’s first air brings cool dew to dahlias’ luscious petals. These same hints of fall also herald the Highlands Historical Society’s annual Dahlia Festival.

In the late 1800s, just as Highlands was founded and growing, Victorian floriography (the “language” of flowers) was at its peak. Though profiles of their meaning vary, Victorians offered dahlias as floral symbols of elegance, devotion, endurance, beauty and dignity. At the end of the 19th century, Dr William Halsted brought prized tubers to Cashiers, soon founding High Hampton’s beloved dahlia garden. Above the brutal heat of lower elevations, gardeners on the plateau have since delighted in growing dahlias. They compare their nuanced flowers’ shapes and lively colors, they save and store choice tubers from year-to-year, then divide them to share among friends. Dahlias are native to the higher elevations of Mexico and Central America, so the cool mountain air of the Southern Appalachians offers amenable growing conditions for the diverse blooms. Most dahlias, especially the large showier varieties, fail to thrive in the humid heat of the deep South. However, here on the plateau, their joyful flourish embodies the friendly climate of summer and fall in the mountains.

2024 marks the 14th Annual Dazzling Dahlia Festival. Sponsored by Visit Highlands, the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, this celebratory event serves as a primary fundraiser for the Highlands Historical Society and supports a host of local non-profits. From September 5th-7th, dahlia flowers will abound in downtown Highlands.

On Friday, September 6th and Saturday, September 7th, the Bascom Arts Center will host the juried show, also offering free entry to the Bascom’s center and grounds. This year’s theme is “Flower Power,” and visitors can expect a powerful display. During the pandemic, Highlands’s Dahlia Festival expanded from a more traditional single bloom juried show (participants display one prized flower rather than an array) to comprise a larger outdoor festival with floral vignettes exhibited throughout town. These vignettes compete for Best in Show, as do the single bloom entries.

For those who do not wish to enter but would like to join botanically in the fun and support, Highlands Historical Society is requesting donations of flowers—dahlias and otherwise—and foliage for arrangements and vignettes. They are accepting these donations Friday and Saturday (the earlier the better) at the Highlands Historical Village. They will create and offer 100 mason jar arrangements for sale Saturday and Sunday at the Highlands Historical Village and Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.

The festival and single bloom juried show are volunteer led; judging is based on the overall quality of the bloom. Each entry should be one bloom without buds, preferably two unmarred leaves, and no bugs. There will be bottles provided for display. The entered bloom should be displayed facing upward or outward. The volunteers will assist in classifying and categorizing entries. Because dahlias are diverse in their cultivated varieties there are a broad range of categories, including the following:

» Decorative Formal

» Decorative Informal

» Anemone and Collarette

» PomPom and Ball

» Cactus and Semi-Cactus

» Laciniated

» Youth to Age 17

» Dinner Plate

» Arranged

» Miscellaneous: Single, Peony, Mignon, Orchid, Stellar, and WaterLilly

Festival Events

(See website below for participant information):

At The Bascom:

9/05 » Poster Party showcasing the artwork of those who competed for the festival poster (see website for details) 5 pm.

9/06 » Single Bloom Juried Competition (Flowers received from 8-11 am. Show open from 1:30 - 4 pm.)

9/07 » Single Bloom Juried Competition (Show open from 10 am - 4 pm.)

Throughout Highlands:

9/07 » Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. Steel Toe Stiletto band and Competition winners announced. 6-9pm

9/07-9/08 » Dahlia Festival Vignettes on display and Flower Sale to support Highlands Historical Society (locations listed on the Dahlia Festival map).

There is no fee to either enter nor to attend the festival. Proceeds from sales support Highlands Historical Society.

For more information on this blooming event, and to view past images and winners, please visit www.highlandshistory.com or call 828-787-1050.