A Taranaki dairy farmer is experimenting with a scented sideline to his hobby growing tulips and daffodils. Amid the springtime rush, an explosion of colour outside John and Alison Vernon's Midhirst cowshed provides respite from the work of calving and milking.
First, there was a host of daffodils in gold and white, and now tulips in many shades and shapes are on show. "They're all my favourites, I can't pick one," John said.
It was their third year growing the bulbs, with 10,000 tulips this year, up from 6000 last year and 3000 the year before. This season, the flowers have filled the area in front of the shed and overflowed into the tanker track. Visitors come in droves to see the flowers despite the wet weather, and sometimes the farm track was chock-a-block with cars.
"It gives me a real buzz to see 20 or 30 people out here, just smiling and breathing them in. I make a point of watching their faces when they arrive, seeing their mouths drop open in amazement. It's uplifting."
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