Cor Geerlings, in Search of the Blue Dahlia

Dutch dahlia breeder Cor Geerlings checks a variety called 'Hamari Gold,' one of many in his growing fields.

Cor Geerlings loves breeding dahlias. At 78 years old he still works full time, growing more than 200 varieties on his 1-acre parcel of land 12 miles west of Amsterdam. He particularly likes working with dahlias because they flower for such a long period. For Cor, dahlias start flowering in early June and don't stop until October. Also, in the breeding world dahlias are the equivalent of a quick fix because it only takes five years to bring a new variety to market. With other flowers, such as tulips, it can take 15 years or more.

Yet one color—blue—remains elusive. Last year Cor crossed a white waterlily-type, 'Porcelain', with a number of other waterlily dahlias in the hope of finding this rare gem. After analyzing 2000 seedlings, he's still looking for this holy grail of dahlia breeding.

Cor started breeding dahlias in 1947 and quickly became known for his work with the waterlily-types. One of Cor's first varieties, 'Glorie Van of Heemstede' quickly became the prototype for an entire group of dahlias, called the waterlily group, so named for the waterlily-like flower form. When breeding dahlias, he looks for strong, vigorous plants, with good disease-resistance, color and form.

Cor Geerlings has won more than 800 awards from around the world.

Working with his son, Jan, Cor has no immediate plans to retire, even after 55 years of dahlia breeding. His new projects include breeding a better dinnerplate-type dahlia in red with white edges. And, of course, he will continue the search for the blue dahlia. After all, when you're the godfather of dahlia breeding, anything is possible.