Some people grow dahlias because they are beautiful. Others grow them because something in the flower speaks deeply to them. Ken Greenway is one of those rare souls whose life has quietly intertwined with dahlias for decades. His flowers are steady, generous, and full of character. Much like the man himself.
We feel grateful to call Ken a friend and even more grateful to partner with him through our Legacy Program. All of the blooms you may already love in the AC series have their beginnings in Ken’s careful hands. His relationship with dahlias has been shaped by curiosity, patience, and an enduring desire to create beauty that people can enjoy in their own gardens.
A Family Story Rooted in Dahlias
How Ken’s Dahlia Story Began
Ken began growing dahlias in 1986 with a single variety called Contraste. For years it was the only dahlia in his garden. Then a friend casually asked him if he knew that dahlias came in more than one color. That simple comment changed everything. Ken was intrigued and began collecting more varieties to grow.
By 2003 he officially started AC Dahlias, and one year later he began hybridizing. The process captured his imagination and it has held his attention ever since.
A Family Passion
Ken and his better half, Candace, raised three children together while tending thousands of dahlias on their property. Their garden has grown into a thriving acre full of color, form, and possibility. It is still just the two of them caring for all of it, and they continue the work at a pace that keeps them energized rather than overwhelmed. Ken once shared, he has no desire to expand beyond what he loves. He simply wants to keep growing beautiful flowers without burning out.
In the early days Ken began selling his blooms by placing bouquets at the roadside for people to purchase on the honor system. His love for dahlias grew quickly from there.
The Making of a Hybridizer
Each year Ken plants thousands of seeds. More than ninety percent of the seedlings are carefully culled so that he can focus on the rare few that show true promise. His philosophy is simple. If he loves a seedling in his garden, he believes other gardeners might love it too.
Ken has always been eager to learn, and in 2007 he began exhibiting flowers at local competitions. He later joined the American Dahlia Society’s judging class to deepen his understanding of show standards. He served as a clerk and a candidate judge for two years, and obtained his Senior Judge status in 2018, becoming a familiar and well respected member of the ADS, the Dahlia Federation, and the Snohomish Dahlia Society.
Seeds for the Future
To this day Ken continues to hybridize, and he has more seeds than he knows what to do with. As he likes to say, he has shoeboxes full of them waiting for their chance to grow.
In 2025 we partnered with Ken to grow a few hundred of his saved seeds here at Triple Wren Farms. Watching them bloom for the first time was a joy. (See photos of AC Rooster and its “babies,” and AC Twisp and its “babies” below!) We selected more than eighty promising seedlings to grow on in the coming season and we plan to grow hundreds more of his seedlings in 2026. This is the next step in bringing Ken’s future dahlias into the world and we cannot wait to see what beauty unfolds.
Why We Feel Honored to Work With Ken
Our Legacy Program exists to support hybridizers like Ken by growing their varieties on a larger scale and making them available to gardeners across the United States and Canada. A portion of every Legacy dahlia purchased from our farms in the U.S. and Canada goes directly back to its hybridizer each year, which helps creators continue doing what they do best without the pressure of large scale production.
We are so grateful for our partnership with Ken Greenway, and we look forward to sharing more of his remarkable flowers with you in the years to come. We cannot wait for you to grow the dahlias that carry his legacy forward.
