Ready for a spring boost? Detroit says it plans to plant 1 million daffodils in the city by the fall of 2020.
In fact, 265,000 bulbs already planted, have started to bloom along medians and parks – with 209,500 bulbs more to go this year.
The ambitious project sprung into life in 2014 when four staff members planted daffodils in Palmer Park -- and has now grown into a citywide initiative.
"We are excited about this announcement to plant 1,000,000 daffodils in the city of Detroit and we will continue our daffodil commitment as symbol of hope and rebirth," Robin Heller, Chair for the Daffodils 4 Detroit, said.
This fall, daffodil bulbs will be planted in the following locations:
Location Total bulb ct.
Jefferson medians (at Altar going west) 2,500
Erma Henderson Park 1,200
*Belle Isle – Jefferson grass medians 50,000
Lincolnshire Park 17,100
Lafayette medians 14,000
Riverside (E. Grand Blvd Medians) 13,700
Rosa Parks medians 12,700
Higgins Park 9,450
Oakman (medians at Davison) 8,800
Mansfield-Diversey Park 8,050
Viola-Liuzzo Park 7,100
Jefferson/Belle Isle Entrance (flower beds) 7,000
Simmons Park 6,300
Syracuse Park 6,000
LaSalle Park 5,700
Gordon Park 4,600
Lafayette Park/Jefferson 4,250
Szafraniec Park 4,000
Gorham Park 3,850
Hackett Park 3,600
Doan Park 3,300
Wells Park 2,800
Field Park 2,400
Luce – St. Louis 1,800
Chandler 1,600
Yakisch Park 1,300
Sak Park 1,200
Boyer Park 1,200
Latham Park 1,050
Mack and Warren 800
Scripps Park 800
Hansen Park 600
Cross Park 500
Davison 400
2018 TOTAL 209,650
When asked “why daffodils over other species of flowers?” Brad Dick, who runs the city’s General Services Department, had a simple answer: “Aside from being beautiful, the squirrels leave them alone. If we planted one million tulips, they’d be gone and we’d have a lot of well-fed squirrels.”
