About this time last year , northern spring 2019 , Graham Phillips , from NZ , was enjoying the U S A spring shows and fine hospitality from many fellow enthusiasts . He also crossed the 49 th parallel to a show in Canada .He was hosted by Bill and Terri Carter in Bellingham , not far from the Canadian border and the Bradner Daffodil Show , about an hours drive away . Graham was intending to again visit the U S A this spring ; he was booked to fly out late last week and visit friends and shows in the later part of the season .He very much enjoys the Bellingham area and the day trip into Canada .No such luck for this season ; Graham is safe at home in his Covid 19 lockdown bubble .
Graham and I were two of many writers who contributed to the 2019 N Z Daffodil Annual , which had a feature on Double Daffodils , which we are both very interested in and are breeding quite a few , both for exhibition flowers and for fresh market cutflowers .We exchanged drafts of our work to avoid to much duplication and one of his replies was that he had found out a little more about the breeder of very useful , early season pink double ; PARTY GIRL . At the Bradner Show , they were commemorating DAVID L SHEPPARD with a small but very informative plaque .As not much is known about David . I thought it was well worth a review .The photo is not extra clear , the script is typed below .
REMEMBERING DAVE .
On June 22 ,1995 Bradner lost one of it’s most experienced and successful daffodil growers . David Lloyd Sheppard died of a heart attack while out walking in Cairns , Australia. David and Frances were in Australia celebrating their golden wedding anniversary which was on June 6 1995 .
David brought his farm ( which is now Bradner Bulb Gardens ) in 1943 . He found a love for daffodils when he moved to Bradner and became very active with growing , selling and hybridising new and exotic varieties . He will be remembered by many in the Fraser Valley for his outstanding display of flowers at the Bradner Flower Show where he proudly displayed his daffodils for more than 50 years .
One of Dave’s favorite new varieties was ” Mount Cheam ” . At Dave’s request his ashes were scattered to the wind , by his family , from the top of the mountain that was so special to him.
Easily the best known ( in New Zealand ) of David’s 16 registrations is the fine , early – mid season pink double , PARTY GIRL , ( Gay Song – x [ Accent – x – Easter Bonnet ] ) It is regularly seen at the North Island Nationals and from the well compiled ( by Denise McQuarrie ) double winners tables we see it won N I premiers in 2011 AND 2016 . It was also , in that period , the third best place white double in the single bloom sections .Obviously a reliable flower ; good results usually against larger blooms as it is never extra large . Welly Munro “imported ” PARTY GIRL ” into New Zealand in the 1990’s ,along with the David Sheppard flower CAN CAN GIRL , ( 2w – y , REG 1977 ). It is an attractive , heavily ruffled cup flower , very similar in style to the well known CURLY . The floral artists enjoy these very different flowers .
PARTY GIRL 4W – YYP
Of the 16 D L Sheppard registrations on Daffseek ,there were 7 division 11 , split coronas , – and 6 doubles .The splits appear to have been better dispersed than the doubles ; Jason Delaney has contributed some vey bright photos to Daffseek and has quite a few David Sheppard listings .
Brian Duncan has also made good use of LAST CHANCE ( 11w – P , REG 1977 ) – from Daffseek, 13 listings including 10 registrations between 2000 and 2002 are all split coronas. The best known of these in N Z are probably DIVERSITY and LADY EVE , both very classy splits .
Dave’s ashes were scattered from MOUNT CHEAM , his favourite walk . As a keen hiker myself , I went to YOUTUBE to check the hike .MOUNT CHEAM is 2104 metres high , – after a 4 wheel drive to the trackhead , then a solid uphill walk , the views over the FRASER VALLEY are spectacular .Quite a few of the clips are in 4K high quality and Drone footage adds to the panorama of this beautiful part of western Canada .
DAVID LLOYD SHEPPARD left us some fine flowers and their progeny are also making their mark .
I am so glad to know that David Sheppard has been commemorated in this way. I was pleased to count him as a friend having met him at an ADS convention and then when he came to stay with us.
Thanks for your post John – or I would not have known.
I used to be in the category of ‘splitophobes’ but when David sent me a bulb of ‘Last Chance’ I thought it was a tidier advance and offered a chance to create splits that were more acceptable to the tastes and standards of
exhibitors. I crossed ‘Last Chance’ with many things and as you mentioned ‘Diversity’ was my first pleasing result – and first since I diversified from breeding standard exhibition kinds. Many others followed so ‘Last chance’ features in most of my splits. I also enjoyed growing ‘Party Time’ for many years.
This post has stimulated pleasant memories -thanks!