Tina McNabb
2019 Inductee
Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers Hall of Fame
The Vancouver Dahlia Society (VDS) and the Fraser Valley Dahlia Society would like to nominate Tina
McNabb for the Federation Hall of Fame.
History
Tina has been promoting our favorite flower since joining the
VDS in 1986; she was also a founding member of the Fraser Valley Dahlia Society (FVDS).
Tina caught the dahlia bug from her husband, Doug, who is a third-generation dahlia grower, having
helped tend his grandfather’s and uncles’ gardens in Vancouver. The backyard of Tina and Doug’s first
home became a riot of colour as they both learned the nuances of good growing and became frequent
winners in local shows. Recently Tina was made a life member of both the VDS and FVDS to
acknowledge her far-reaching contributions to both clubs.
Clubs & Shows
People can enjoy dahlias all year round with a copy of Tina’s beautiful annual calendar. Copies of her
calendar have made their way all around the world and have become an important way to promote
dahlias as well as allowing dahlia societies to use their sales as a vital source of fundraising. When the
Vancouver Dahlia Society was fundraising for the 1996 National Show, Tina and Vera Williamson started
the VDS annual public tuber sale, which has become an essential source of revenue for the club. She did
the same for the Fraser Valley Dahlia Society when they formed in 1997. The tuber sales allowed the
FVDS to have a critical source of income and become successful.
She continues as the tuber sale cochair for both the Fraser Valley and Vancouver societies.
Tina maintains a comprehensive photo gallery of dahlias so that buyers can see what each and every
dahlia they purchase will look like. Tina has generously shared her skills as a graphic artist and printer.
She produced and distributed the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers Dahlia Annual and Combined
Show Schedule for many years. Tina was very responsive to the contributors to the Annual and often
made last-minute changes to ensure accuracy. She provided the Annual and show tags at well below
retail cost. She has designed and printed high-quality publicity flyers and other materials for the
Federation and several dahlia societies, allowing them to promote showing and growing dahlias for a
reasonable cost throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Tina assisted Rosa Beer in teaching the Accredited Judging classes for several years, supporting many
people’s success in the Federation’s judging program. She is recognized as an expert judge of seedlings
and is often asked to judge them at the local shows. Tina recently stepped down as the VDS
representative for the Federation after taking over the role from Rosa Beer more than twenty years ago.
Tina represented the VDS at Federation meetings while promoting membership in both the Federation
and ADS to all members of both the FVDS and VDS.
Listing Tina’s official roles as Federation representative or tuber sale co-chair doesn’t even begin to
describe her influence and contributions to dahlia growing. Over the years she and Doug have opened
their home to judging classes, meetings, and club gatherings. Her opinions on growing and showing are
often sought by novice growers, and she is always ready with encouragement and support. Recently Tina
and Doug have been trying their hands at hybridizing with the introduction of dahlias with the prefix
Pandora. Look for them on the seedling bench.