'Dahlia Lama' wins first championship award

A man known as the 'Dahlia Lama' online has won his first championship award at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Wisley Flower Show.

Julian Hemming, 52, a medical microbiologist from Salisbury, Wiltshire, competed in the championship section - run by The National Dahlia Society (NDS) - for fimbriated dahlias.

Hemming, whose Normandie Frills were crowned best vase in that group, said it had been a "tough year" growing dahlias due to the dry weather, but he had "some blooms that were just absolutely perfect on the day".

NDS chairman and judge Dave Gillam - who won Individual Championship and best exhibit in show - said Hemming's entry had "uniformity".

Having entered the competition at novice level for several years, Hemming, who shares his flower-growing journey on Instagram, told BBC Radio Wiltshire he had decided this year to enter at championship level having "learnt lots" from people he had met along the way.

"Dahlias are really, really tricky. Drowning the roots when they're growing early is one of the main things not to do and I've done that so many times," he said.

"But when they get bigger and their roots start to establish in July/August time then they can do with as much water as you can give them."

However, Hemming said it been the "toughest year for dahlia growing" he could remember after England experienced the driest July since Met Office records began 190 years ago.

"A lot of people have struggled. And even though I've had some good flowers, I've lost lots too, it's been a really tough year.

He said he hoped to defend the title at Wisley next year, adding that he would like to eventually become a national expert on dahlias.

Wisley Flower Show, in Surrey, is an annual event in early September and considered the pinnacle of the year for exhibition growers.

Gillam, who has been growing dahlias for 40 years, said an exhibitor's blooms had to be identical to win.

"You're looking to see that splitting is even on each petal across all the 250 petals in the flower," he explained.

"There'll be three blooms per vase and you're looking for three peas in a pod."

Gillam said Hemming grew his dahlias in a less formal way to most exhibitors.

"Julian loves his garden and his dahlias form part of a garden rather than a clearly identifiable bed. He enjoys doing it and that's important," he said.

"I'm sure he will pick up awards and and classes along the way," Gillam added.

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