What One Person Can Do.

Recently I received an e-mail about a lady in America who had a five acre garden filled with Daffodils of all sizes and colours. People came from miles around to view her garden. On her front porch was a sign saying, "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking".

1. 50,000 bulbs.
2. "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain."
3. Began in 1958.

The moral of the story being that one person can bring about a great thing of beauty and design that others can enjoy, if they are prepared to make a start and move one step forward at a time.

This story of Daffodils reminds me of another closer to home. Around the time this lady in America started her daffodil collection, my father started growing daffodils too. Or rather one specific variety of Daffodil! Sometime in the 1950’s, Dad brought home a dozen King Alfred Daffodil Bulbs from the Queen Victoria Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market. He paid the then princely sum of 2 shillings and sixpence for them. These days that is only 25 cents but in those days a goodly amount.

These bulbs were proudly planted in the front garden and went forth and multiplied. So much so that in the mid 60’s they had multiplied so much that they were dug up and moved to a bigger site. At the same time, many of the excess bulbs were either sold off, on his veggie Round or given away to family and friends. A habit that was practised a few times over the years, as they have been dug up and moved a couple of more times since then.

As the number of bulbs multiplied, even after getting rid of a lot, so did the need for more space to grow them. First, from the house garden, they went down to a large area on the furtherest edge of the 1 acre Veggie Garden next to the house; and then later brought up closer to the house again; and then over the creek and along the drive, beside the stock yard; and later again along the outside edge of another veggie garden, also along the then drive, (by then I think that garden had been turned into a Hay paddock,) where they still grow and every year bloom in golden profusion to the pleasure of all who drive by. As well during flowering season, all visitors are offered a knife or pair of secateurs and told, “Go and pick as many flowers as you want.”

They have not been moved for many years now and are suffering from over crowding, but with every previous move, many bulbs were dispersed all around Melbourne and parts of Victoria. Even now people are encouraged to go and dig as many bulbs as they want during the dormant season. The only requirement is to spread a few back in the empty spaces, so they can multiply again. If he couldn’t sell them dad would give them away. There was no worse crime than seeing the bulbs wither away because no one wanted them and he had no room for them. Although dad passed away last year, that principle still holds for Mum.

Unlike the American women who kept all hers and added to them, and had a magnificent display for others to see, dad dispersed his along the way, so that many others could share in a little of the joy that these flowers gave him. Both methods have their merits. One large display is truly a magnificent sight and one to behold and long remember, but smaller displays spread around among hundreds, if not thousands, is also a very good thing.

Now daffodils may not be your thing. No plant may be your thing, but what can you do, one bulb or one piece at a time to impact on others, if not the whole world? Like me you may not have another 50 years in front of you to achieve what this lady did, but if you start now you can make a start or you can encourage others to make a start like my dad did.

Now you may not have the space that this lady or my dad had and so you may need to regulate on a scale to the space available for your project, but those excuses aside, there is no reason that you can not do something, whether it be a craft of woodwork or needle work (like my wife) or even Daffodils. Again, this is not so much a question of what you can do, but more of what you will do. Over to you: Walter.