Registration for the 2025 Daffodil Project is closed.

Thank you to everyone who picked up bulb and native seed for the Daffodil Project's 24th year! We're so grateful to our dedicated volunteers, and to NYC Parks for their longstanding partnership which makes this initiative possible.

Hosting a planting event? We want to hear about it! Share details with us at ny4p@ny4p.org, and tag us in your photos on social media @ny4p.

The Daffodil Project is a living memorial and citywide volunteer effort, a celebration of New Yorkers championing parks equity in their communities and a catalyst for civic engagement.

Each year, NY4P distributes free daffodil bulbs and native seeds to New Yorkers in every borough. Participants then work alongside other volunteers to plant in public parks, tree pits, community gardens, schoolyards, and more.

Come March, citywide blooms mark the first signs of spring, a symbol of our collective resilience and advocacy on behalf of NYC's parks and open spaces.

• Saturday, September 6: The Bronx – Soundview Park
• Sunday, September 7: Brooklyn – Prospect Park Plaza West
• Saturday, September 13: Queens – 34th Ave Open Street (34th Ave between 93rd St and 94th St, Jackson Heights)
• Sunday, September 14: Manhattan – Union Square North Plaza
• Saturday, September 20: Harlem – A. Philip Randolph Square
• Sunday, September 21: Staten Island – Willowbrook Park
• Saturday, September 27: Far Rockaway – RISE Rockaway, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Blvd

In 2025 for the second year in a row, we’re partnering with NYC Parks Plant Ecology Center and Nursery (formerly Greenbelt Native Plant Center) to distribute native perennial pollinator seeds alongside the bulbs. These locally sourced seeds support pollinators, restore biodiversity, and strengthen the city’s ecological health.

Participants will receive seed packets with each bulb order, which can be planted before the first frost at the same time as the daffodil bulbs.

Click here to see simple seed planting instructions.

New Yorkers for Parks’ Daffodil Project is the largest annual volunteer effort in NYC history, conceived as a living memorial to the victims of September 11. Since the Daffodil Project’s inception in 2002, over nine million daffodil bulbs have been distributed for free, planted by thousands of volunteers in the fall, and celebrated as some of the first flowers to bloom come spring.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Dutch bulb supplier Hans van Waardenburg and the City of Rotterdam sent NYC a million daffodils – a gift facilitated by NY4P Board Member and public garden designer Lynden Miller. That fall, 10,000 volunteers joined NY4P and then-Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to plant the bulbs in every borough. In 2007, Mayor Bloomberg named the daffodil the city’s official flower.

Throughout over twenty years of bulb distributions, plantings, and perennial blooms, the Daffodil Project’s mission has grown. Today, the project also honors the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic and acts as a catalyst for citywide parks stewardship and civic engagement.

 

I submitted my daffodil request – when will I hear back?

If bulbs are available when you submit your request, you will receive a confirmation email from ny4p@ny4p.org. If you cannot locate this email in your inbox or spam folder, reach out to us directly at that address. 

I missed bulb registration but signed up for the waitlist. What does this mean? 

Waitlist status is not an order confirmation or guarantee. Waitlist requests will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis from 12:30pm-1:00pm on the day of your selected distribution.

I received an email from ny4p@ny4p.org confirming my bulb request. When should I come to my selected distribution site?

We strongly encourage confirmed participants to arrive at the distribution site before 12:30pm. 

Do I have to request to pick up the bulbs in the borough I live in?

No, if the distribution in your home borough does not work for you, please select another location that does.

I’m late – what happens to my order?

If you arrive after 12:30pm, we will try to honor your registration, however the waitlist is first-come first-serve.

Do I need an ID to pick up my bulbs?

No, you just need to give us your first and last name.

Can someone pick up bulbs on my behalf?

Yes! Just have them check in with your name.

How much do the daffodil bulbs weigh?

The large net bags (550 bulbs) weigh about 35 to 40 pounds. The smaller tote bags with bulbs can weigh between 15 to 25 pounds. We suggest you bring a hand cart to transport them.

It’s raining – is the distribution still happening?

Yes, all our distributions are rain or shine.

Do I need permission to plant in a park? 

Yes. You’ll need to have permission from NYC Parks before you plant any bulbs on NYC Parks property. There are two options:

• If you’re part of an established community group that hosts It's My Park (IMP) projects with Partnerships for Parks (PfP), you should request bulbs and permission through the IMP Project Leader application.
• If you are not an established community group that works with PfP, you can seek permission through a PfP group project request (at least 3 weeks in advance of your project) or through your local park conservancy or NYC Parks park manager/administrator.

Do I need a business’ permission to plant in front of them?

We encourage you to talk directly to a business to see if they already care for any open space or tree bed in front of their business and to coordinate planting and care.

When is the best time to plant?

Daffodil bulbs should be planted before the first frost – usually mid-October through the first week of December.

How can I support the Daffodil Project?

• Make a Donation: Your support is essential to making the Daffodil Project a reality! NY4P gives away bulbs for free, which would not be possible without our generous supporters.
• Tell the press: If you have press on your planting day, please mention that you’re participating in New Yorkers for Parks’ Daffodil Project!
• Post on social media: Share your planting events and spring blooms and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use the hashtags: #DaffodilProject #NY4P #NewYorkersForParks
• Send us your daffodil photos: Please send your photos to ny4p@ny4p.org or tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

For all questions about the Daffodil Project and how it works, or to place a special bulb order, please email ny4p@ny4p.org

For all press and media inquiries, please email press@ny4p.org

Our corporate partners underwrite NY4P’s substantial costs in organizing and sustaining this citywide volunteer effort, as well as purchasing bulbs, which are given away for free. 

The Daffodil Project is especially focused on areas of the city that do not have the capacity to generate private or philanthropic dollars. Your support helps bridge this gap, to commemorate the victims of 9/11, and beautify spaces for residents to enjoy.

To find out more about this year's corporate partnership opportunities, please contact Jordana Townsend at jtownsend@ny4p.org.

The Daffodil Project wouldn’t be possible without the help of our partners. We would like to especially recognize Con Edison, key supporters of the Daffodil Project since 2003.