A host of golden daffodils planted by the people

Have you seen the daffodils lately? Nodding their yellow heads in the easterly breeze?

Spring is here and daffodils are blooming all over the city - especially in the Daffodil Woodland on the south-west side of the Avon River in Hagley Park.

Hundreds of thousands of bulbs are planted in this two-hectare wilderness and in springtime they burst into flower, a symbol of rebirth and hope. They’re one of the most popular springtime attractions in Christchurch and another reason we’re known as the Garden City.

There’s also something extra special about the history of the Daffodil Woodland which many people may not know, says Wolfgang Bopp, Director of Botanic Gardens and Garden Parks at Christchurch City Council.

“The first daffodils were planted on this site in 1933 and they were all publicly donated. It was the brainchild of Botanic Gardens Curator James McPherson, who believed that public gardens played an important role in inspiring the public to take pride in their own gardens.”

Mr McPherson was the first New Zealander appointed as Curator of the Botanic Gardens, which by the time of his appointment in 1933 had been in existence for 70 years. There were 16,000 bulbs planted that first year and the enthusiasm was such that by 1943, almost 500,000 bulbs had been planted, most of them donated by the people of Canterbury.

Planting days were held at weekends for the public to come along, and large quantities of daffodil bulbs came from the grounds of ‘Otahuna’, the Tai Tapu homestead of Heaton Rhodes where daffodils had been bred and cultivated on a large scale.

“As they naturalise and grow to a size where they will flower, the bulb then produces bulblets around its base, which will grow into flowering size bulbs. The original bulb by this stage may have long since perished. With the size of the woodland this process means that there are always flowering size bulbs," says Mr Bopp. 

“It’s remarkable to look back on the foresight of James McPherson and the sense of community his vision engendered, especially when you reflect that times were tight during this period of the Great Depression and the Second World, when many young men and women were overseas."

Thousands flocked to see the masses of golden flowers on 25 September 1938, for the inaugural Daffodil Sunday, which it's understood was also initiated by Mr McPherson. This became a popular annual event right through to the 1950s and it’s become a tradition for Christchurch families to take a photo with the daffodils for the family album.

“In recent years new groupings of miniature daffodils have been planted around the Band Rotunda, which are looking great and we will be planting more bulbs in the coming years. The woodland attracts large numbers of visitors during its flowering season and it certainly is a glorious sight to behold,” says Mr Bopp.

If you haven't seen our famous Daffodil Woodland, why not pay a visit this month? They’re at their perfect best in September.