If you’ve visited our farm recently, you may have noticed a colorful section planted right alongside our Bloom Bar. That’s our Rainbow Row.

It isn’t just another flower bed.

It has become one of our favorite places on the farm because every single plant has a story.

Even better?

The Rainbow Row exists because of one unforgettable moment with Emmons that neither of us will ever forget.

The Day Everything Went Wrong

Every spring, I start many of our dahlia tubers indoors so they get a head start before planting outside.

One spring, Emmons wanted to help carry those sprouted tubers from the house to our high tunnel.

He was especially excited because we had a brand new garden cart.

Like any excited kid, he took off down the hill.

What neither of us anticipated was just how fast that cart would roll.

Within seconds, tubers were bouncing everywhere.

Labels were flying.

Some labels stayed with their tubers.

Many didn’t.

By the time everything stopped rolling, we had hundreds of mystery tubers and no reliable way to match many of them back to their names.

Instead of getting frustrated, we laughed, gathered everything up, and decided to plant them together in one special row.

Just like that, the Rainbow Row was born.

A Field Full of Surprises

Normally, every dahlia on our farm has a name.

We know exactly what variety it is.

We know its color.

We know its bloom size.

We know whether it has a great vase life or produces incredible tubers.

The Rainbow Row is completely different.

Every dahlia plant that blooms is a surprise.

Some produce giant dinnerplate blooms.

Some make tiny pompons.

Some bloom in colors we expect.

Others completely surprise us.

Walking through the Rainbow Row feels a little like opening birthday presents. You never quite know what you’re going to find next.

The Rainbow Row Has Grown

What started as one accidental planting has become a tradition.

This year, we have approximately 300 plants growing in the Rainbow Row.

We intentionally moved it to a new location right alongside our Bloom Bar so visitors can enjoy it up close.

It has become one of the happiest places on the farm because every walk down the row(s) brings something different into bloom.

No two visits look exactly the same.

The Home of Our Pick Your Own Nights

This year, the Rainbow Row will serve as the home for our Pick Your Own and Bloom Bar evenings.

Visitors will be able to wander the row, choose their favorite blooms, and create bouquets filled with flowers we couldn’t even identify by name.

It’s a fun way to experience dahlias because every bouquet becomes one of a kind.

Why Visitors Only Pick From the Rainbow Row

If you’ve purchased dahlia tubers from us before, this next part is especially important.

The Rainbow Row is the only location on our farm where anyone outside of Cassell Hollow Farm is allowed to cut flowers.

That decision wasn’t made because we don’t enjoy sharing.

It was made because we take plant health seriously.

Every cut made on a dahlia plant can spread disease if tools aren’t properly sanitized between plants.

Even with guidance, we can’t guarantee that every cut will be made using perfect sanitation practices.

Rather than risk introducing viruses into the plants we depend on for tuber production, we’ve designed our farm with two completely separate purposes.

The Rainbow Row is for picking flowers.

Our production fields are designed to produce healthy, high-quality tubers.

Those production plants are located on the opposite side of the farm, far away from the Rainbow Row.

Only trained members of our team harvest from those fields, and we follow strict sanitation practices throughout the season.

Because we can never guarantee the sanitation status of the Rainbow Row, we simply never sell tubers harvested from those plants.

It’s one extra step we take to protect the quality of the tubers that eventually arrive in our customers’ gardens.

Why We Think It’s Worth It

Could we sell tubers from the Rainbow Row?

Probably.

Will we?

No.

Protecting the health of our production stock is simply more important.

The Rainbow Row gives us the best of both worlds.

Visitors get to enjoy a beautiful, interactive experience filled with colorful mystery blooms.

Meanwhile, our production fields remain protected so we can continue providing healthy tubers for gardeners around the country.

Sometimes the best farm traditions start completely by accident.

This one certainly did.

And every time we walk through the Rainbow Row, we’re reminded that one very excited little boy and one runaway garden cart accidentally created one of our favorite places on the farm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pick flowers anywhere on the farm?

No. Visitors may only pick flowers from the Rainbow Row and only during designated Pick Your Own events. Our production fields are not open for cutting. Please do not stop at the Rainbow Row outside of our normal Pick Your Own hours.

Why don’t you sell tubers from the Rainbow Row?

Because visitors cut flowers there, we can’t guarantee that every cut was made using proper sanitation practices. To reduce the risk of spreading viruses, Rainbow Row tubers stay on the farm.

Are the flowers all different varieties?

Yes! Since many of the original labels became separated from the tubers, the Rainbow Row is full of mystery varieties with a wonderful mix of colors, sizes, and bloom forms.

Planning to visit our Dahlia Rainbow Row? Read our complete guide to Pick Your Own Nights and the Bloom Bar →

Don’t forget to save this post for later by pinning the graphic below to Pinterest so you can easily reference it again during planting season.