Rows of red, orange, pink, and white dahlias stretch as far as the eye can see from one end of the field to the other. A garden that started with just 300 plants has turned into a field with 200,000 in a few short years to become one of the largest dahlia growers in the country.
The field along Allens Neck Road in Dartmouth is almost impossible to miss. Russells Mills Flower Company owners Bethanie Costa and Tucker Manley grow and harvest the dahlias, working with a local wholesaler. They do not however sell flowers on site.
Once harvested and bundled, the dahlias are shipped for sale to over 100 Whole Foods stores in the Northeast and elsewhere.
It's a love story — a love of dahlias and a love of the land for a local couple who are passionate about selling local flowers on the South Coast and across the country as part of a local flower movement as an alternative to buying flowers from other countries.
Read more at South Coast Today.