Locally grown, not flown, cut flowers are a passion; growing dahlias is an obsession. With their mesmerizing petals, curious forms, and undeniable beauty, they’re impossible to resist. My front yard lawn has largely given way to 250 square feet of dahlia beds, along with even more space devoted to in-ground perennial plantings and native flower beds. These galleries capture each bloom as it appears through the season—photographed outdoors in natural light, with all the subtle shifts in color, tone, and form shaped by sun, soil, climate, and time.