Acrylic on canvas, stretched and ready to hang.

Signed certificate of authenticity.

Three gardeners, two about to turn 80, and their son in his early 50’s.
All garden beds go in and out every year, a very laborious cycle. Hands and knees style!
There is no other help, just these three troopers.
Over a thousand blossom trees that require pruning back straight after the season closes. Hours upon hours of mulching.
Months of digging up the tulips, all while planning the following years layout and colour schemes.
Ordering seeds to on-grow, just a few to handle in their growing period. Maybe 140,000 to nurture and plant, but who is counting? Ok, maybe we do as the pots are placed in trays and filled with potting mix in anticipation for their arrival, again weeks upon weeks of manual work.
Fertilising, weeding, watering, mowing, planning and planting - months upon months.
All this work in the harsh seasons, felt the worst in summer when digging the bulbs in the heat and dust, and winter when your hands freeze over but still have to find a way to work.
Leading up to our opening ,it is crazy with so many tasks to complete for a family business, but somehow we seem to get over the line, even if it is with less than an hour ago.
By this stage we have convinced our family, extended family and friends to volunteer to help “run” the show and make it as smooth and personable for you as possible.
Take a minute to realise that even though the gardens are open, the work does not stop.
The constant weeding and watering of the plants for the nursery is Pats job. In the heat and wind it is a non- stop job to keep the plants moist and fresh.
Every morning /evening Dallas is tending to garden maintenance which can range from mowing, whipper snipping, edging and general grounds management. Then he does not stop. He is your host with the most on the cooker making your Dutch pancakes before he jumps back to the garden after hours.
Bill, is madly hand watering and moving a few sprinklers before he realises it is 9am when the piped music commences.
From 9am he is madly trying his best to keep organising the nursery stock deliveries to ensure visitors have a diverse selection of plants to choose from.

The gates close at 5pm.

The three troopers are back in the gardens.
Water, mow, fertilise , groom, and refresh. It does not end.

With three days to go, the Rhodin family would like to thank you for your support, in-person and digital. Your feedback means a lot and your very kind words and sharing of memories makes what we do feel very special.

It’s all about connections. Connections with nature, beauty, each other and community.

Thankyou for being part of the TTG community.

The Rhodin’s.

(From the Tulip Top Facebook post)