Rodney’s love of daffodils continues to blossom

FOR Leongatha’s Rodney Emmerson, growing and caring for daffodils has been a lifelong affair. 

A well-known face at the Daffodil and Floral Show, Rodney has been growing the flower since he was a young boy. 

The Sentinel-Times was lucky enough to visit his property just outside of town, where a group of cheeky kangaroos were enjoying the morning sun right on top of his prized possession.

But he was quick to remark that should they eat the flowers; their stomachs may be in a lot of pain later!

“I started planting daffodils in a big way in 1957,” he said.

“I planted some in 1955 but they all died from eelworm because I didn’t know anything about it.

“If you don’t take care of them, they will cark it, if you don’t know of that disease they will die.

“You plant them apart from everything.”

One of the patches was planted in 1958 on his family’s property and has been ongoing ever since, with the other one planted in 1962.

Featuring in his plot is the poeticus variety, known for its beautiful white petals, as well as other colourful variants. 

Rodney has been busy preparing for the upcoming show but admitted he does need a bit of extra help these days.

He hoped to harvest his daffodils over the weekend but said it all depends on the weather and perfect timing. 

Rodney is also the only entrant in the Daffodil and Floral Show who can claim that he has entered in every competition since its inception in 1948 - making this year’s competition the 64th - a very impressive achievement.

At the Memorial Hall, four ladies from the Leongatha Horticultural Society have volunteered their time to ‘stage’ the daffodils.

The flowers are groomed, labelled and displayed in an appropriately sized bottle or vase, in such a manner that will showcase the bloom