0n Madison’s far north side, at the tail end of Hoepker Road and tucked behind a stand of tall trees is a delightful surprise for flower lovers: A field of dahlias in nearly every shade of the rainbow.
It’s the home of Cher’s Garden, a family operation run by Cher Yang, which offers 180 varieties of the popular blooms that inspire rabid fandom from some — including Yang herself.
When she started growing dahlias, “I bought three to four varieties and then I just keep buying more and more every year,” Yang said. “When you get into it, you feel like you get addicted to your flowers.”
In addition to vending at local markets (the Dane County Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and Monroe Street Farmers’ Market on Sundays), working with local florists, and selling dahlia tubers online to customers around the country, Yang opens up the fields to the public to come and pick their own flowers. Dahlias start blooming here in August until the first frost, Yang said, typically early to mid-October.
It’s free to visit the gardens. Customers can wander the rows with a basket or bucket and pruning shears provided by the farm, and choose what they like. Flowers are $3 a stem or $15 for six stems. People can also opt for pre-cut flowers at the farm, and the staff (of other family members) will also put together vibrant bouquets.
Yang first discovered dahlias from a friend who sold the flowers at the Janesville Farmers Market. Struck by their beauty, she wanted to grow them. Her son Khamseng helped research how to take care of the flowers and the tubers.
“We just go crazy about it,” she said.
It’s a major commitment. The dahlia tubers have to be dug up at the end of each season. And they multiply as they grow, so they need to be divided before they are stored for the winter. Yang “babysits” the finicky plants through the colder months, making sure they don’t dry out or get too warm, which can lead to rot.
Yang’s venture into agritourism started during the COVID-19 pandemic — when many businesses were forced to rethink their operations (see this month’s cover story for another example).
It was fitting for the times and offered a respite for the pandemic-weary: “They can be out instead of stay home all the time,” Yang said.
The business first spread the word about the you-pick operation to friends and followers on Facebook, “then people just keep asking and coming back” each year, Yang said. “It’s something that people look forward to. They come out every time we open the field.”
The garden is typically only open to the public on Fridays, but new this year they are offering Saturday hours as well. People can drop by the farm at 4402 Hoepker Road or make a free reservation — a new effort to collect data on how many people are stopping by the fields.
And does she have a favorite? Yes.
“The ‘Diva’ is my favorite,” she said. It’s a deep purple dahlia and the first kind she bought. Yang has two rows of the variety on her farm.
“If you fall in love with something, you just cannot stop doing it,” she said.
