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The Backyard Bouquet Podcast: Cut Flower Podcast for Flower Farmers & Backyard GardenersAuthor: Jennifer Gulizia of The Flowering Farmhouse
A podcast for flower farmers, gardeners, and cut flower growers who are growing more than just flowers.Hosted by Jennifer Gulizia of The Flowering Farmhouse, The Backyard Bouquet shares inspiring conversations and expert tips from the fields and gardens of cut flower farmers and home growers.Whether you're planting your first backyard bed or running a thriving flower farm, each episode offers practical growing advice, heartfelt stories, and the encouragement to cultivate beauty, joy, and connectionboth in your garden and in your life.From backyard plots to blooming fields, this podcast celebrates the people behind the petals and the lessons we learn when we grow with intention. Discover how locally grown flowers can enrich your days, root you in the present, and remind you that every flowerand every seasonhas a purpose.Join us on this flourishing journeywhere growing flowers is just the beginning.For Show Notes And More Podcast Details: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com/the-backyard-bouquet-podcast/Join The Backyard Bouquet FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutflowergardening/Sign up for our newsletter: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.myflodesk.com/backyardbouquetpodcastThe Flowering Farmhouse: Instagram Facebook Website Language: en Genres: Business, Education, Entrepreneurship, How To Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 91: Dahlia Hybridizing with Kristine Albrecht of Santa Cruz Dahlias
Episode 91
Thursday, 16 April, 2026
There are people who grow dahlias, and then there are people who spend two decades quietly shaping what dahlias can become. Kristine Albrecht is one of those people.From a weed-choked quarter acre in Santa Cruz, California, Kristine has built an extraordinary breeding program, growing 1,500 seedlings a year and selecting only about 50 to carry forward. Her cultivars (all marked with the K.A. prefix) have won some of the highest honors in the dahlia world, including multiple Daryl Hart Awards and the Stanley Johnson Medal. She was the first California breeder to receive that honor.In this conversation, Kristine walks us through how she got started (giant pumpkins played a role), what hand pollination actually looks like in the field, why she keeps organza bags on everything in August, and what traits she's breeding for right now. We also get into soil health, virus testing, the Juicy Fruit gopher trick, and why your soil test matters more than any recipe you'll find online.Key Takeaways Hybridizing is a numbers game and a patience game. Kristine starts with 1,500 seedlings and keeps about 50 by season's end. Hand pollination gives you more control over traits. Open pollination from bees adds genetic diversity. Both are valuable. First-year seedlings are incredibly vigorous, and most are virus-free when grown from seed. About 87% of older dahlia varieties carry virus, which is why new, clean varieties matter so much. There is no universal soil recipe for dahlias. Get a soil test and feed based on what YOUR soil actually needs. Kristine practices no-till farming with cover crops, building soil biology over time rather than tilling each year. She carries a bleach solution in a wearable pack to sanitize cutting tools between every plant. Patience is everything. Some breeding goals take 4 years. Some take 15.Resources & Links Mentioned Santa Cruz Dahlias website: santacruzdahlias.com Kristine's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santacruzdahlias/ Kristine's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kristinealbrecht3560 Book: Dahlia Breeding for the Farmer, Florist, and the Home Gardener https://amzn.to/4sEjn1Q Book: Dahlias: Seed to Bloom https://amzn.to/4myYF25 Stonehouse Dahlias (licensed seller of K.A. varieties. Sales are every other Saturday from March 21 through May 16.) https://stonehousedahlias.com/Show Notes: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com/2026/04/16/ep-91-dahlia-hybridizing-with-kristine-albrecht/Guest BioKristine Albrecht is a dahlia hybridizer and grower at Santa Cruz Dahlias in Santa Cruz, California. She's been growing dahlias since 2006 on a quarter-acre suburban plot that's home to over 2,600 dahlias. Kristine is vice president of the Monterey Bay Dahlia Society, author of two dahlia books, and a tireless advocate for excellence in dahlia cultivation. Her K.A. cultivars have earned national recognition including multiple Daryl Hart Awards, the Stanley Johnson Medal (she was the first California breeder to receive it), and the Les Connell Medal.Sign up for our podcast newsletter: https://bit.ly/thefloweringfarmhousenewsletter
