Some folks in Sandcreek Township only know him as the “Daffodil Man” or “Daffodil Dale.”
At least that’s how Dale Fleetwood, 72, of County Road 600S said he’s been occasionally identified when people write into the Republic’s “Orchids and Onions” column.
For more than 15 years, Fleetwood — a retired Cummins Inc. employee — has been planting daffodils along rural roads in southern Bartholomew County, as well as along U.S. 31, according to his daughter, Marci McCauley, Elizabethtown.
“He does this to share the beauty of these flowers with all of his neighbors,” McCauley said.
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Daffodils are often referred to as the “Easter Flower” because the perennials are usually in bloom when the Christian holiday arrives, Fleetwood said.
Why would someone decide to plant daffodils in a similar manner that Johnny Appleseed planted apple trees?
The motivation seems to be linked to the fact that Fleetwood and his wife of almost 50 years, Sandra Fleetwood, have long traveled to Florida to get away from cold winter weather.
During an early spring drive back to Indiana in 1973, the couple was charmed by the beauty of a wide variety of daffodils planted along Tennessee roads and hillsides, Sandra Fleetwood said. Variety in daffodils means about 50 species with at least 13,000 hybrids.
“A lot of people think daffodils grow wild,” Sandra Fleetwood said. “But that’s not true. They can only grow from a bulb, so someone has to plant them.”
After seeing the beauty in Tennessee, Sandra Fleetwood said she spent $100 in 1973 (equivalent to $573 today) to purchase a variety of daffodil bulbs from Holland.
It didn’t take long to learn that daffodils do spread by producing daughter bulbs and division-producing clumps.
“That means they keep reproducing every year,” Dale Fleetwood said. “So we ended up with a numerous supply of daffodils.”
One of his earlier projects was a small field of daffodils that displayed the initials of his oldest granddaughter, Skylar Fleetwood, that was planted when she was just a toddler.
Even though Skylar will receive her teaching degree from Indiana University this spring, those flowers bearing her initials continue to bloom and grow today, McCauley said.
When choosing planting areas, Dale Fleetwood said it’s important to find places unlikely to be mowed during the spring to allow the daffodil to die back naturally, usually in late May or early June. Delaying mowing allows the bulb to re-absorb nutrients in the foliage because without these nutrients, bulbs make a poor showing the following year and will eventually die out.
Since daffodils are also susceptible to rot when kept too wet, Fleetwood said he prefers to plant them in well-draining areas. That includes high spots on hillsides where there are no trees or brush, he said.
One of Fleetwood’s latest projects has been to begin planting daffodil bulbs in the vicinity of the Southern Crossing roundabout on U.S. 31.
But it will likely take a few years before those daffodils begin to bloom, he said. In addition, Fleetwood said he’s only been able to plant daffodils on one side of the roundabout, adding he still has plenty of work ahead to complete that project.
“I can’t plant as many at one time as I once did,” Fleetwood said. “My hip just can’t take it.”
However, the rural Elizabethtown man said he still looks forward to seeing the daffodils come out every spring. He also admits feels pride when he sees older residents stopping to pick up a bouquet of daffodils in an area he had planted.
“I just like to share them with everyone so they can enjoy them,” Fleetwood said.
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Daffodils planted by Dale Fleetwood over the past 15 years can be seen early in the spring along U.S. 31 from County Road 600S to County Road 750S.
The flowers are also visible along rural north-south roads in Sandcreek Township south of Elizabethtown, as well as in the area of the Sandcreek Cemetery on County Road 650S.
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