More sad news from the USA.
“It is with heavy heart that I announce the death of Dr. John Reed of Oakwood Daffodils in Niles, Michigan. John died peacefully this morning in the hospital. I believe it was the 22nd November.”
Respectfully, Jason Delaney. ADS
Malcolm Bradbury remembers Dr Reed
A medical doctor, John started growing daffodils in 1971 and began hybridising in 1976. He built a large collection of daffodils sourced from all over the world and used them to breed both standard sized daffodils in all divisions and several intermediate and miniature cultivars. John is noted as having registered 437 cultivars including the first well known white and red trumpet daffodil ‘Flaming Silk’ and ‘Tangerine Delight’ 1W-O.
John’s daffodils were grown in an eco friendly manner on 4 hectares (10 acres) of land and his 37th Oakwood Daffodils catalogue was published this year.
Because of his long term ill health, John was helped by bulb enthusiasts, who held an annual ‘Big Dig’ and received a lot of bulbs for their local horticultural societies in return.
John was awarded the American Daffodil Society’s Gold Medal in 2010 and the Peter Barr Memorial Cup by the RHS in 2019. The latter award was written up by Brian Duncan in the 2019 RHS Daffodil, Snowdrop and Tulip Yearbook where more information can be found about John.
John Reed at Oakwood (Photograph Courtesy of Cynthia Haeffner)
Though never actually able to meet Dr. Reed personally i spoke with him over the
years and purchased a number of bulbs from him exhibiting his bulbs at the RHS and daffodil shows with great success.Dr. Reed told me how proud he was that myself
and Roger Braithwaite were showing his raisings in the UK. Roger I know was hoping
to grow on Dr. Reeds bulbs in Holland and hoping to distribute in the UK.
Hopefully we still might get the opportunity to grow these bulbs
Dr.Reed was so enthusiastic and dedicated to hybridisation that he could talk for
ever and was so entertaining.
On a personal note I wish to record how Dr. Reed was also a very caring person,even
though he had his own health problems he was very supportive towards my wife
Wendy and gave her great encouragement in her battle against cancer which
we very much appreciated.We also know Dr.Reed inquired of Wendy with others in the UK which shows the compassion and caring nature of this gentleman.