Every plant parent knows the emotional roller coaster of gardening. One day, you’re admiring a perfect bloom; the next, you’re standing outside wondering what on earth happened while you were sleeping!
Ree Drummond knows this feeling well, especially when it comes to her beloved dahlias. She recently shared a video on Instagram Stories showing a beautiful bunch of blooms in shades of pink, peach, cream, and deep burgundy. And while the flowers looked pretty darn lovely, Ree hinted that getting there hasn’t exactly been effortless.
“It’s been a rough summer for my dahlias but maybe we’re gonna make it after all!!!” she wrote over the clip. That is not a tragedy, thankfully. It’s more of a gardener’s sigh of relief. A dahlia survival update, if you will.
Ree’s love for dahlias runs deep. Back in 2024, she wrote all about getting back into gardening after a long break, explaining that 2014 had been her last “substantial garden.” But once she started growing dahlias again, she was hooked all over again.
“There’s a big concentration of dahlias in my garden, and I have fallen deeply in love,” Ree wrote at the time. Actually, “hooked” might be too mild.
“The verdict? I’m in love. Deep, deep love,” she said. “Dahlias are popular and dahlias are a trend because they are absolutely addictive.”
Anyone who has tried to keep a garden happy through heat, storms, bugs, neglect, overwatering, underwatering, and general plant drama probably understands. Dahlias may be gorgeous, but Ree has pointed out that they also need “time, care, and daily attention” if you want them to thrive.
Of course, the reward is worth it. Ree once said that “every morning in a dahlia garden is like Christmas,” which is a very strong statement from a woman who knows a thing or two about Christmas.
So yes, it may have been a rough summer for Ree’s dahlias. But judging by that pretty little bouquet, they still seem to be putting on a show!
