About Our Farm
Growing Happiness is a mindset.
Hello…
I’m Kari Rouse, the owner here at Dahlias by the Bay. Since I was a little girl, I have always had an interest in gardening. Although it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized there are multiple benefits to having your hands in the dirt, soaking up the sun, and tending to plants.
My obsession with dahlias started in 2016 when I visited the dahlia festival at Swan Island Dahlias 40-acre property in Canby, Oregon (pictured below). It was a sea of varying shades of colour with the most interesting textures from formal to whimsical. I have always had a green thumb and growing had come naturally to me, but during those seminars, I realized growing dahlias was both an art AND a science.
I had been to other large flower fields before including Tulip fields and fields of Lavender.
They are truly a sight to behold, but what made me catch my breath standing in this sea of dahlias was the feeling of sheer abundance. The abundance of flowers on each plant, the fact that each plant grows multiple tubers for the following year, and the pure joy on everyone’s face walking the fields.
It was that day that I dreamed of starting my own dahlia farm.
In December of 2020 during all the uncertainty and turmoil of the pandemic my husband, our daughter, and I decided we wanted something more in life, wanted something different, wanted to actively celebrate the small things because in the end those really are the big things. Through a remarkable turn of events, we were able to purchase a 6-acre property in the heart of the Annapolis Valley in Port Royal, Nova Scotia.
We have sourced over 200 varieties of premium quality hand-selected dahlia tubers and will be launching our tuber sale for the 2023 growing season. These will be available for shipping all over Canada. This summer we are launching our first flower subscription, our roadside market bouquet stand, and Build-a-Bouquet Workshops.
My favourite program we are launching this year is called the Growing Happiness Project. Where you can nominate someone who needs a bit of a boost, or someone who you would like to recognize as an outstanding person to receive a free bouquet of flowers. Each week we will be growing happiness in the community! Read more details of the Growing Happiness Project here.
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Get this FREE 15-page guide on dahlia care that covers monthly tasks starting with planning and prepping your garden space. You will also learn how to plant, grow, divide and store your dahlia tubers. Included is a section on how to cut and care for your flowers so you can enjoy their longest vase life.
Plus…
Receive more in-depth growing tips, creative flower arranging ideas, farm updates, dahlia tuber sales info, musings from a flower farmer, and so much more…