About Us

In the rich historical town of Wardell, nestled in the lush sub-tropical landscapes of northern New South Wales, there lives an old bloke named Bernie Delaney. Known by his friends and family as Oldboy, he is a 93-year-old pensioner with a heart of gold and a green thumb to boot.

For the past 30 years, Oldboy has been tending to his beloved garden filled with an enchanting array of almost a million hippeastrums or 'hippies.' These gorgeous ornamental plants take center stage at Oldboy's Flowers, attracting tourists and admirers from around the world, reaching as far as Holland, Canada, and the US. More than anything, though, he takes immense joy in being able to share his garden's beauty with the locals and the elderly visitors from the nearby nursing home.

Oldboy discovered his love for gardening as a young boy when he would help his mother grow tomatoes in Queensland. "I've loved gardening - always have," Oldboy reminisced. This passion stayed with him throughout his days in the navy where he tended to ornamental flowers in Nowra. "Everyone on the base loved them, and I would win the gardening prize every time," he recalled fondly.

Years later, Oldboy settled in Wardell to help his son grow mushrooms on the family farm. However, it wasn't long before he got bored with them and began growing different flowers instead. The wallabies, however, had other plans - they loved to nibble on Oldboy's gerberas! But Oldboy discovered that they didn't quite fancy the taste of his hippeastrums. So, he decided to grow more and more of these beautiful and vibrant flowers, turning his property into a sea of colour and fragrance that would leave even the most seasoned gardener in awe.

 

Spring is always a special time of the year for Oldboy and his hippeastrum garden. With the onset of the season, his hippies would burst into full bloom, painting the town with their brilliant hues, and leaving onlookers mesmerized by their allure. As the garden's reputation spread, it became an accidental tourist attraction, a wonderful testament to Oldboy's dedication and skill.

As the garden grew, so did the joy that Oldboy's hippeastrums brought to the visitors. Seniors from the local nursing home would arrive in a minibus, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the resplendent garden. Watching their delight, Oldboy knew in his heart that he had found his true calling.

 

 

Oldboy turned 94 this year, he eagerly anticipates this years spring's blooms. "I'm still cross pollinating plants and bulbs, so I want to be around to see them flower," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He found that tending to his hippeastrums not only brought happiness to others but also nurtured his own soul. "It keeps me out of the pub and out of trouble. So that's a good thing, isn't it?" he grinned.

And so, the legend of Oldboy continues and his enchanting hippeastrum garden in Wardell continues to flourish. The beautiful blooms stand as a vibrant testament to a lifelong passion and served as a reminder to all who visited that with love, dedication, and a green thumb, one can create a world of wonder and joy for others to cherish.

 

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Oldboy and wife with a simple stringing machine. This throws a thread around each bunch of six Gladiola spikes. This goes on seven days a week for nine months of the year. Newrybar 1973