Gold again for the Holbeach daffodil grower with the Midas touch

Johnny Walkers with the gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Quality manager Johnny Walkers was presented with his 23rd consecutive gold medal for a display of daffodils that shows the flowers at different phases across the 12 weeks of flowering.

The display of 86 varieties and 2,500 flowers is the result of 15,000 flowers grown in controlled conditions every year especially for the show.

Mr Walkers, who with his team, represent the specialist daffodil mail-order collection of Taylors Bulbs, said: “The weeks running up to the show are exhausting and stressful but we all support each other and hope nature allows us to put on a grand display.

Spring Dawn daffodils in flower in December last year.

“I’m particularly proud to show such a spread of flowering time this year as visitors are always amazed when we explain the difference between the varieties. Daffodils from February to May in one day!”

A company spokeswoman said: “The Lincolnshire daffodil man with the Midas touch has struck gold again.”

The latest show success comes as changes in the weather appear to have created one of the most remarkable flowering seasons.

Adam Taylor, director, said: “The normal expectations might be for 16 weeks of colour. We have recorded flowers over a 24 week period this season and the relatively cool weather means this is about to stretch into 25 weeks.”

He said: “The varieties in question are just as we would expect with Spring Dawn flowering first and Pheasant’s Eye being our last variety to flower.

“However, never before has the Spring Dawn been so early and then for Pheasant’s Eye to be so late in the same flowering season.”

John Taylor, commercial director, said: “In my 55 years working in the bulb industry, I’ve never known such a season as the one we are experiencing this year.

“Although we can experience an early season or a late season, the two have never normally come combined together like this.

He added: “We don’t know what the effect of this will be on the bulb yield as there is no experience of this, but there are always quirks of nature that we learn about with each occurrence.

“Lifting the bulbs will start in about four weeks.”

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