It is not how many they have room for but how many they can take care of. At Tacoma they have lots of volunteers and grow about 75 entries of three plants each, all planted contiguously. I believe that Tacoma is now the largest trial garden and for example in Canby they have only 25 entries. The score sheet for dahlias is in the annual classification book. A passing score of 85 means that the variety will be included in the next year's classification book. Beyond "passing", the new flowers compete for medals and must pass in three trial gardens to be eligible and then the highest average three scores are used. The medals are awarded for the different sizes and types of dahlias(8 categories). The results of only the ones that passed in trial gardens are published on the ADS Bulletin.
when I went to work in the test garden, but may go early to the meeting tonight and stop by to take a few pictures. I definitely have some picked out already that I would like. There is Deep pink and white Mball on long stems that would be a great cut flower. Its right next to a lovely red miniball that looks a lot like the ones in my garden Then there is a nice red mball with gold backs to the petals and A lovely pink and white large WL that looks familiar!(Only WL I have seen so far) 4 for my garden and all in one fell swoop of a section. Then there is a nice bb cactus type in gold and bronze that I like a lot. THose were my picks from what was blooming this morning.
Tall vigorous red mball. One of the few pastel pinks I have liked. The colors tend to wash out in the sunshine but I think this might hold its own. It would be lovely in bridal arrangements I think. this is a pretty little red mball with gold on the back of each petal. I really like it. THese are the only Waterlily type blooms I have seen this year. THey are quite large and vigorous.
Pretty soft yellow! simiiilar color but different form form the next one. I like both. Note stripes of color. I LIKE! Connie and Ben, here is a pink one for you. Isn't it sweet! Over exposed pic. A nice soft yellow.
This is a poor picture of a really pretty little cactus with intense red violet/purple and white.
This one reminds me of HH COtton Candy but in a deeper darker pink. This is the biggest flower blooming in the garden right now. Not sure if it would go AA but definitely an A..
The last one here, which we now know is KA's CLoud, I just saw that it won some major medals and will be available from Corralitos Gardens when they open later in Nov! Ready.....Set............(Don't go yet!)
"Sandia Sunburst" The first to bloom in the test garden. Looks like its taking a bit of a break now. Love this one! I think the stripes blend more as tehflower ages but it is very striking at this stage THis is just a pretty summer colored one, not eye popping but very pretty.
FLflowerboy Jul 22, 2014 11:22 AM PDT
Name: Jon George Gainesville, FL ...crazy enough to grow dahlias in
Wow! So many to enjoy!!
DarcyD Jul 22, 2014 5:13 PM PDT
Name: Darcy D Green Oaks, Illinois
Oh my! Thanks so much for sharing these! Very fun to see the up & coming Call me boring, but I really love that pure white frilly one!
mandolls Jul 22, 2014 6:38 PM PDT
Name: Geof WI
I wish I had a trial garden close by to volunteer in - those look great.
Ever tempted to take scissors and a baggie and steal a few cuttings ?
CCvacation Jul 22, 2014 7:02 PM PDT
Name: CC PA
Islander wrote:
This is a poor picture of a really pretty little cactus with intense red violet/purple and white.
Looks suspiciously like one of my favorite varieties that just started blooming...
Benny101 Jul 22, 2014 7:25 PM PDT
Greenville MI - zone 5b
OVERLOAD !!!
So many pretty blooms , where to look first ??
Love that pink and white you pointed out Noni , love that Stellar that appears to be cream with possibly Rose or lavender tips , love that pink FD ? pictured above the " tall vigorous red mball " and again today I'm with Darcy , I like that big white frilly one
Well, that is what it is like to be in the largest test garden . I am proud of our garden and working in it was one of the reasons for joining the club. It has brought me so much pleasure over the years, and even more as I began to learn how it works. THe other 3 who mostly work on it have so much experience...Marilyn Walton, Ken Walton and Don Filand (NTAC). I am just the lowly apprentice. I tell you, I would almost pay for the chance to dead head the bloomed out dahlias there! I will never understand all that Marilyn does ...working with all those scores and rules would drive me plum nutz! Id rather just be the dead header...its like playing with flowers.
teddahlia Jul 23, 2014 7:05 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Don Filand is the originator of N-Tac dahlias. I love his N-Tac Mia Li and lost it a couple of years ago and re-ordered it this year. And his best show flower is N-Tac Patricia the one that has been winning in the shows. I got new stock of that one and it appears to be doing better but it started to bloom in the really hot weather and looked a bit bedraggled. By the way N-Tac stands for North Tacoma and that must be where he lives. He likes to grow open centered types and has introduced several of those. He did a class on his dahlia breeding and he is very detail oriented. He uses Excel to keep track of lots of the seedlings and inserts pictures into the spreadsheet.
Yes, Both these households live not too far from the gardens. They are the ones who are always there and making it work out both for the public and for the dahlia growers. It can be hot dirty work and they definitely deserve a round of applause for it. I am just a minion and its all I want to be.
DarcyD Jul 23, 2014 11:25 AM PDT
Name: Darcy D Green Oaks, Illinois
So interesting...the sponge in me is soaking up this info.
honnat Jul 23, 2014 12:15 PM PDT
St. Paul, MN
I am guessing that is purple pinwheel in there...we need numbers. Is that an orange stellar or is it red? Love the big yellow cactus.
I will take a closer look at the stellar next time. I think it would probably be "Flame" from my momery of it. Seems like there is yellow down in the heart of it and that the color is more red orange then red, but we will see how it looks next time I go over. Nice to know that that is probably Purple Pinwheel. I will try to record it through the different weather we get here. I liked the big yellow cactus too. So do you want the nearest number post ? There seem to be 3 for each post about. Someone had stollen some of the ID tags off them when we were there last.
CC, I think the one you are talking about is a much more intense purple where as your picture is more magenta. I agree they look a lot alike except for that. I will try to get a better pic next time.
Then there is a nice red mball with gold backs to the petals and A lovely pink and white large WL that looks familiar!(Only WL I have seen so far) 4 for my garden and all in one fell swoop of a section. Then there is a nice bb cactus type in gold and bronze that I like a lot. THose were my picks from what was blooming this morning.
This is just so you get a general idea... 
Tall vigorous red mball.
One of the few pastel pinks I have liked. The colors tend to wash out in the sunshine but I think this might hold its own. It would be lovely in bridal arrangements I think.
this is a pretty little red mball with gold on the back of each petal. I really like it.
THese are the only Waterlily type blooms I have seen this year. THey are quite large and vigorous.
Pretty soft yellow!
simiiilar color but different form form the next one. I like both.
Note stripes of color. I LIKE!
Connie and Ben, here is a pink one for you. Isn't it sweet!
Over exposed pic. A nice soft yellow.
This is a poor picture of a really pretty little cactus with intense red violet/purple and white.
This one reminds me of HH COtton Candy but in a deeper darker pink. 
This is the biggest flower blooming in the garden right now. Not sure if it would go AA but definitely an A.. 
"Sandia Sunburst" The first to bloom in the test garden. Looks like its taking a bit of a break now.
Love this one! I think the stripes blend more as tehflower ages but it is very striking at this stage
THis is just a pretty summer colored one, not eye popping but very pretty.
Call me boring, but I really love that pure white frilly one!
. I am proud of our garden and working in it was one of the reasons for joining the club. It has brought me so much pleasure over the years, and even more as I began to learn how it works. THe other 3 who mostly work on it have so much experience...Marilyn Walton, Ken Walton and Don Filand (NTAC). I am just the lowly apprentice. I tell you, I would almost pay for the chance to dead head the bloomed out dahlias there! 
I will never understand all that Marilyn does ...working with all those scores and rules would drive me plum nutz! Id rather just be the dead header...its like playing with flowers.