Four sunflowers became dozens of zinnias which have become more flowers than Tracey Hill has room for in her garden and in her house.

The Palmwoods gardener has begun giving away her excess flowers to the Cittamani hospice service but is looking for other organisa- tions that might appreciate some free floral cheer.

Tracey’s love of flowers is something that has grown over the past three or four years.

“It was a happy accident, that’s’ become another accident and another accident,” she said.

Tracey planted about 20 sunflowers in a row about three years ago.

“The rats got to them and chewed them up to get to the seed and only four survived. They took ages to flower but when they flowered, the flowers were as big as hub caps,” she said.

The sunflowers’ tenacity and the magnificent show enthused Tracey enough that she put in some zinnias last year.

Tracey had more flowers than she knew what to do with so she started selling them for 50 cents a stem to pay for more fertiliser. This year, she has planted about 30 sorts of flowers, including carnations, strawflowers, stock, delphinium, foxgloves, calendula and sweet peas.

“Last year, I realised I could grow flowers. I love them. I love it. I did more this year and it ended up being wildly successful and I have far too many,” she said.

Tracey picks flowers every day to encourage more flowers and stem growth suitable for cut blooms, something she learned in a workshop with Gail Farlow, of Farlow’s Floriculture.

She works with her husband, Matt, in Hill Built Joinery, and they have two boys, aged 12 and 14, but has discovered a hobby for the first time in her life and loves it.

“It’s the very best thing. It’s really exciting for me to have a hobby for the first time in 34 years and that makes me happy, and that makes everyone else happy.”

▶ If you know an organisation that would be happy to accept some of Tracey’s excess flowers, contact her at Hill Built Joinery on 0431 520 343.