Novice Hybridizer: Dawn Hubbell

Today we’re featuring Dawn Hubbell from Whistling Bee Farm and Florals. Dawn was a member of the Triple Wren’s Novice Hybridizer Class of 2024 and is the creator of the glorious new dahlia, Whistling Bee’s Dawn’s Early Light.

Dawn Hubbell

Ever since she was a little girl picking dandelion bouquets for her grandmother, Dawn has had an affinity for flowers. It wasn’t until later in life, though, that she embraced this passion by starting Whistling Bee Farm and Florals. Dawn enjoys providing sustainably grown flowers and blueberries to her community in the beautiful Hudson Valley in New York, realizing her dream of creating a farm that nurtures plants, pollinators, and people by spreading kindness and joy through flowers. 

Whistling Bee Farm

Dawn’s farm, Whistling Bee Farm, has such a unique name and story. While watching the bees busily buzz from flower to flower, the song Whistle While You Work from Disney’s Snow White Popped into Dawn’s head. The bees reminded her of the seven dwarfs who diligently worked all day, cheerfully singing as they went to and from their jobs. This moment inspired Dawn to name her small, family-run flower farm after these industrious bees. Being a passionate pollinator advocate, Dawn wanted to create a place where the bees were so happy they, too, whistle while they worked.

Whistling Bee’s Dawn’s Early Light

A few years ago, she started to pursue her interest in dahlia hybridization. In keeping with her mission to support pollinator populations, the dahlias she is hybridizing are bred with pollinators in mind. Dawn is working to hybridize dahlias that feed pollinators and can be enjoyed both in the garden and in a vase. When Dawn first saw this dahlia seedling growing on her farm, its magenta petal coloration radiating from its yellow center reminded her of a sunrise. It seemed fitting to name the dahlia Dawn’s Early Light. Through her work with dahlias, she looks forward to adding more beauty to the world through flowers.

This winsome dahlia sparkled every way we attempted to use it at the farm this past summer. Despite its novelty or single form, it holds its petals well when cut. Above all, it attracts pollinators of all kinds like a magnet. It was always a treat to combine it with other varieties, as you can see from the photo below. We’re excited to grow lots of Whistling Bee’s Dawn’s Early Light on the farm this year and then share it all over North America.! Keep watching our blog and Instagram this summer as we grow and create beauty with this wonderful dahlia.