Here in the South hand-painted signs are among our most irresistible roadside attractions. The best of them exert a Siren-song pull on innocent motorists. Take for example the clutch of signs at the intersection of Highway 50 and Lone Oak Road just west of West Point.
“Free daylilies, 2170 Lone Oak Circle,” the most conspicuous of them reads. Dangling from the sign are half a dozen plastic grocery bags, each stuffed with freshly unearthed daylily bulbs. An adjacent sign lettered in the same script offers more detail: “2015 — now open, lilies, iris & more.”
Who would be offering free flowers to any and all passersby?
On Monday afternoon at the advertised address, an elderly man stood in a shaded front yard watering a bed of just-planted groundcover. A younger woman was busy with chores in a side yard.
“We sold flowers out of the yard for years,” Janet Coggins said. “Mother was disabled and working with flowers was her therapy.”
Dad, the man with the hose, was Allen Roberts, who is vibrant at 87, and according to Janet, can outwork most mortals “any day of the week.”
Mom, Winnie Faye, died with breast cancer in ’08. Janet and her husband, Mike, had moved in a year earlier. They still live with her father, who, says Janet, spends his days in the yard as long as temps are no higher than 100 or lower than 50.
Allen worked 38 years as a cook in the canned meat department at Bryan Brothers. During that time Winnie Faye gardened and sold day lily bulbs for $1 apiece.
Winnie Faye grew up in Pheba, Allen in Beeker. Winnie Faye’s grandfather lived near Allen’s family and the two met during the girl’s summer visits to her grandparents. They were married for 56 years.
In addition to the advertised iris and daylilies, Allen grows hosta, resurrection lilies, rose of Sharon, cockscomb, four o’clocks, touch-me-nots and English dogwood.
Though he has diabetes and congestive heart failure, Janet is convinced yard work is what keeps her father alive. “An energizer bunny on steroids,” she calls him.
“As long as I can keep him off the rooftop and a chainsaw out of his hand,” he’ll be fine she says. “He keeps going and going. He is amazing.”
Before leaving Janet hands a visitor an envelope with a just gathered handful of touch-me-not seeds, and Allen offers a potted English dogwood.
“Anybody comes by and wants some of ’em, we’ll give ’em some,” Allen says of his yard’s bounty.
“Come back anytime,” he says, calling a newfound friend by name.
If you’re in the market for day lilies, stop by the sign on Highway 50 and take a sack or two of bulbs. Better yet, motor over to 2170 Lone Oak Circle. There’s a fellow there who would love to give you some flowers personally.
Birney Imes III is the immediate past publisher of The Dispatch.
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