About Us

Hi there! My name is Sarah and I am the face behind the dahlias. Dahlias have always been a big part of our family. My grandfather lived in Birch Bay, Washington overlooking the water and always had a beautiful dahlia garden. I vividly remember walking amongst his dahlias while he gently cupped each bloom and spoke about them. If you were lucky enough to be there, you could feel his great love and admiration. He grew mostly ball varieties, and I remember as a child being mesmerized with how symmetrical and perfect they were.  So many petals and all perfectly placed, unlike any flower I’d ever seen. He never fussed over the tubers; they stayed in the ground year after year. He never pinched, pruned, pulled or divided them; he just let them be. He passed in March of 2021 at the age of 93, just as I was really getting into growing and selling dahlias. He would be flabbergasted to see my bins and bins of dahlias all separated by variety at the end of each season and stored in a temperature-controlled environment with bottles of bleach scattered around. He truly loved dahlias, and the way he grew them is a testament that dahlias are more resilient than we think. My brother even named his first daughter, Dahlia, after my grandpa Dan.

 

My mom lives close and walks through our garden almost every day during the growing season. Watching her walk through the dahlia garden while taking pictures and saying repeatedly, “I think I found a new favorite!” is what really brings this hobby turned business so much joy. Seeing how excited and mesmerized she is by every single variety reminds me so much of my grandfather and how much he loved these flowers.

 

We are located in the beautiful PNW in Arlington, Washington. In 2014 my husband and I purchased our 7.5 acre dream property about 7 miles out of town. He and I have been married for 16 years, and he is the muscle behind the blooms. I need a greenhouse, additional rows, irrigation, or stringing up supports and he is there making my visions become a reality.  Luckily, he gets to work his dream job as a Paramedic/Firefighter which allows him to help me on his days off during the busy season. I couldn’t do it without him, and it surely wouldn’t be as fun. We have two kiddos that like to help when able. They are rock stars picking up spent blooms when I toss them to the ground and our 8 year old son’s favorite thing of all time is putting together those treat bags you will find in your order.

 

Willow Rock Acres officially launched in 2024. We are licensed and inspected by the Washington State Department of Agriculture every year during the growing season. We grew around 1000 dahlias during the 2024 season and are planning to at least double that in 2025. We sold and shipped hundreds of rooted cuttings all over the United States in 2024 and plan on sending out even more beautiful varieties this year. Every single clump is dug, divided and labeled by me. I am a small enough operation that I can get my eyes on every single dahlia tuber and cutting that is shipped to you and know you are getting the highest quality dahlias. Nothing leaves our place that isn’t the highest quality and something I would be thrilled to receive myself.

 

Our gardens are not open to the public. There are a small number of people allowed to harvest blooms that are trained in all sanitation practices that I follow. Most of the blooms are all shared with friends and family, dropped off at assisted living facilities in town and donated to the local food banks. We focus mainly on selling tubers and cuttings, not cut flowers.

 

Along the way I have had the privilege of growing some very special dahlias hybridized by some of the most talented breeders in the industry. I believe the work hybridizers do is incredible and deserves to be recognized and compensated. Although not required by any of them, a portion of all sales from these varieties are sent back to the hybridizers to support their future releases and breeding goals.

 

The best part of growing this business has been the wonderful people I meet along the way. I have had the privilege of working with so many kind and genuine people; most of them starting out as customers.  I can’t thank you all enough for supporting my business and passion. Every single order means the world to me, and I deeply appreciate you trusting me to provide you with healthy, beautiful dahlias every year. I wish you the very best growing season!

 

Sarah