MEET THE TEAM

"I have grown hundreds of shade-loving flowers in my backyard over the last ten years but I never knew about the dahlia until I saw the Cafe au Lait featured in a Martha Stewart magazine. I was completely mesmerized by the buttercream and blush colors as well as the shape of this informal decorative variety. The magazine article suggested getting Erin Benzakein's book, Discovering Dahlias, and after watching Erin's series Growing Floret on Magnolia Network, I was inspired to grow this beautiful bloom. You can read my article here. Dahlia tubers multiply every season and I keep finding and buying new varieties I want to grow!  

As a result, I have expanded from a humble seven tuber/plant plot at my organic neighborhood community garden to over 260 different varieties and just under two thousand plants for season 2025. I grow my organic, full-sun dahlias on the grounds of the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI) located in the northern part of Colorado Springs across the freeway from the Air Force Academy.  As President of the Board of Trustees for WMMI, I've come to appreciate this unique non-profit.  For every bouquet you purchase from Dianne's Dahlias, you can feel good that part of the proceeds goes towards supporting an organization whose mission is to educate the public about the heritage and continuing importance of the mining industry in the American West. I believe it's important to give back to the community where we live. 

In addition, I've been a member of The Woman's Club of Colorado Springs since 2013 and I am honored to be a part of this special group. This is a fantastic chapter of diverse women who get together monthly to support local charities - so come join us.  Our local chapter is part of GFWC. I've also been a long-time member of Sertoma International and the chapter members help hard of hearing people like myself. I was told that a high fever was the suspected culprit of my high-frequency hearing loss and I've been wearing hearing aids in both ears since I was a small child. I do really well with my powerful digital instruments and I usually don't have too much trouble hearing unless I'm in a big, crowded room. But most people I know have trouble hearing when it's loud and they get envious when they see me 'click' off the noisy world to blissful silence! Another one of my favorite charities is www.hearingloss.org

In my free time, I enjoy growing vegetables at the community garden with my hubby, Dave (married fourteen years).  Dave and I usually get a hike in every morning with our two miniature schnauzers, Bart and Atticus - Bart is the kind of dog that NEEDS to start his day exploring nature! 

I graduated with an AAS in Multimedia Graphic Design from Pikes Peak State College in May of 2023."

"Hey, everyone! I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this team at DD. I'm a native Coloradan who grew up in Littleton and moved to the Springs to attend nursing school. I worked as a nurse for five years after graduation, until my husband unexpectedly deployed, and I took a break from nursing. Once he was home, the opportunity to work with Dianne on her farm fell into my lap, and it somehow felt that it was just meant to be! I grew up gardening and working on a ranch, so getting my hands in the dirt felt familiar and comfortable to me. However, I have also learned many new things! My eyes have been opened to the world of dahlias, and I'm a true addict now (even sporting my own backyard dahlia garden, despite working on a farm where we will see 40,000 blooms this Summer alone!) I will never not love these flowers, and I am so grateful to be here."