Dahlias were just one of many plants that Ely grew, and with cannas and bay laurel, were the only plants that merited the trouble and fuss of winter storage. In her three books published in the early 1900’s, Ely writes of the wonderful variation in dahlias – the cactus, the quilled, the fancy. She loved to grow dahlias from seeds, delighting in the surprising results of new colors. Each fall, the tubers were dug up and stored safely on an earthen bank in the basement of Ely’s house, and each spring they were planted again in the cutting garden. Those same tubers have been stored in just the same way by the Meadowburn gardeners to this day.

Meadowburn was sold in 1930, a decade following Mrs. Ely’s death. Henry and Vincenza ‘Byba’ Coster, the new owners, continued to employ Furman as the gardener. Byba’s love for fresh cut flowers and Furman’s stubborn penchant for tradition meant that very little was changed in the garden. When Furman died in 1948, his son, Albert Furman Jr., stepped in as gardener. Furman Jr. had worked beside his father in the garden since the day he could first pull a weed, and like his father, kept steadfast to the gardening practices passed down from Ely. Each spring the dahlias were set out in freshly tilled rows and arranged just as they had been the year before. Every dahlia was carefully tended – only a few shoots left to grow, each stalk nicely tied to a cedar stake cut from the woods, and the soil gently cultivated.

In 1975 the Costers gifted Meadowburn to their nephew C.H. Coster Gerard and his young family. At this time, the majority of the picking gardens were replaced with great grassy lawns, but the dahlia beds were kept. As the garden and its gardener aged, the horticultural traditions and the Furmans’ love for the dahlias stayed true.

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Dahlia ‘Helena Rutherfurd Ely’

An exquisite informal decorative dahlia in hues of deep yellow to bronze. Blooms measure 8”-10”, on sturdy stems. Grows taller than 6’. Named for the creator of the gardens at Meadowburn Farm – gardener, writer, and founding member of the Garden Club of America.

Dahlia ‘Meadowburn Albert Furman’

A bright yellow cactus dahlia, and a prolific bloomer. Flowers 6″-8″ on sturdy stems. Grows to 6′ tall. Named for two generations of Meadowburn gardeners, who collectively cared for the gardens for over 120 years.

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Dahlia ‘Jane Cowl’

Historic match made! Our ‘Jane Cowl’ dahlias have been growing at Meadowburn likely since the cultivar was first released in 1928. This is a stunning informal decorative dahlia with luscious blooms measuring 8″-10″, and sometimes even 12″, on sturdy stems. Deep peach centers open up to glowing orange, petals dusted with gold. Grows to 6′ tall.

Dahlia ‘Meadowburn Old Tweet’

A cheerful, antique peony flowered dahlia with 4″-6″ golden bronze blossoms. Some plants grow up to 9′ tall! Named for the Scottish gardener just down Meadowburn Road at Maple Grange who taught Helena Rutherfurd Ely to garden as a child.

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Dahlia ‘Meadowburn Byba Vincenza’

A most unique show dahlia, featuring bobbing 4″ blooms on slender stems, in hues of magenta with streaks of vermilion down the center of petals. Foliage is dark green and highly serrated. Grows to 5′ tall. Named for Vincenza “Byba” Coster, who owned the gardens with her husband from 1930-1975. Byba loved the dahlias.

Dahlia ‘Meadowburn Clara Helen’

A bicolor dahlia, in magenta fading to white. Blossoms 4″-6″, with variation in coloring on each plant, and possibly another Ely seedling. Grows up to 4′ tall. Named for two of the grandchildren of Coster and Alison Gerard.

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Dahlia ‘Meadowburn Danny Bea’

An elegant antique peony flowered dahlia with 4″ blooms in hues of magenta often with a streak of vermillion in the center of the petal. This is possibly an Ely seedling. Grows up to 3′ tall. Named for two of the grandchildren of Coster and Alison Gerard.