The SOHS Library is OPEN to the public at 106 N. Central Avenue in Medford, with FREE access to the SOHS Archives, from 12:00 - 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Appointments are not necessary. Please contact library@sohs.org, or call 541-622-2025 ex 200 to ask questions or request research.

 

Sydney Croft Develops Famed Easter Lily in Bandon, Ore.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

In 1930, Sydney Croft was a struggling farmer with failing health.  When his physician advised him to leave Michigan for a warmer climate, he relocated near Bandon on Oregon’s southern coast and began raising vegetables.

 

A neighbor gave Croft some lily bulbs and urged him to try them.

 

At first, Croft showed little interest, but a row of them planted between the beets and carrots grew so fast and hardy that he advertised the flowering plants for sale.

 

His promotion caught the attention of a nearby greenhouse owner, who began experimenting with the plant’s budding period.  He found it could be controlled to bloom at Easter.  This had a major impact on the lily business.  Croft went on to develop his own hardy hybrids.  He named the most successful one, resistant to disease with a leafy stem and long-lasting foliage, the Croft Lilly. 

 

Croft’s first bulbs sold for 5 cents each.  Three years later the price had increased to $1. Croft moved his enterprise to Harbor, Ore., but he died before his prototype acquired its ultimate market niche as the industry standard.

 

Sources: Adams, Mike W. Chetco - The Story of the River and Its People. Brookings, OR, The Chetco Valley Historical Society, 2011, pp. 241-42; "Sydney Nicholas Croft." Find A Grave, 2011, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14334476. Accessed 26 Feb. 2018.

Episode
3463
Date
Author
Laurel Gerkman