I have just returned from a fabulous Lydia Menzies Supper Club event hosted by Nancy Caswell @Nabes_tables at her beautiful island home on Lake Glenville in Cashiers, NC.  "Dahlia Delights" was 2 full days of everything dahlias with my Lydia Menzies Supper Club Foundry or better know as my "Fancy Friends".  Nancy welcomed us with a wonderful goody bag.  The highlights were a candle from Southern Bungalow and a tin of @luluscheesecrisps

I was inspired to paint Dahlia clutches for the event.  They come in orange, purple and pink and the Supper Club Foundry members looked fabulous carrying them.We were treated to lunch and a presentation from The English Gardener himself, Drew English.  Drew is the Head Dahlia Gardener at High Hampton Inn as well a private gardener in the area.  The most important thing we learned was that all of us southerners had been pronouncing the flower wrong.  The dahlia is named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl, which is all the surname of familiar children's writer Roald Dahl. It is pronounced like “DAH-lee-uh with the emphasis on the first sylable.  It reminds of how they said "dahling" in all the old black and white movies.  We also learned how to grow and care for them and that Dahlias boast over 42 recognized species and more than 57,000 named cultivars worldwide as of 2026.

We met again for dinner at Lonesome Valley's Canyon Kitchen. The view and the Farm to Table cuisine is divine!

The following day we visited a dahlia cutting garden behind Scotlyn Yards Nursery.  They operate on the honor system where you are welcome to cut from rows and rows of colorful dahlias for a charitable donation.

We then traveled to the amazing Becky Savitz's house @thepiquinggardener   Becky and her husband Frank have spent the last 20+ years turning an old farm pasture into THE most beautiful gardens.

In addition to gardening, Becky is mosaic artist.  She covers every type of surface in bold, whimsical colors; using found pottery and china.  I truly could have spent all day looking at her pieces.  What an inspiration!

The most fabulous creation was her Jack and the Beanstalk mosaic that "grows" up her stone fireplace.  WOW!

Next we were off by boat to Nancy's beautiful home that sits on an island in the middle of a lake.  We had a delicious Farm to Table lunch from Chef Chloe from Hill Top Pantry.  The flowers, the food and the table settings were all so incredibly beautiful.

After lunch I taught a Dahlia painting class.  All the the Supper Club ladies did a fabulous job painting and were excited to take their creations home with them.  Hen House Linens created our fun pink and white stripe aprons.  I don't think anyone spilled a drop of paint!

It was then time for a final Dahlia Delight Cocktail and a boat ride back to the mainland.  I  created a new set of  Dahlia Cocktail Napkins for the event.

This is the best group of women...full of creativity, positive energy, joy and a shared love of beautiful things.  We get together a few times of year to discuss business, share ideas, our families and our lives.  Thank you Lydia Menzies for continuing to bring us all together. I always leave feeling inspired and ready to keep creating:)

To see all of my Dahlia Collection click here

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