New Yorkers for Parks and NYC Parks founded The Daffodil Project in 2001 as a living memorial to September 11. 

With over 7.5 million free bulbs planted citywide by more than 400,000 young students, parks and gardening groups, civic organizations, corporate volunteers, and other New Yorkers, it is one of the largest volunteer efforts in the city’s history. 

Every fall NY4P gives away approximately half a million daffodil bulbs to individuals and groups planting them in New York City public spaces such as parks, schoolyards, community gardens, street tree pits, and others.

Participants must register in advance to receive bulbs. Registration opens in late summer of every year. To learn more about how it works, check out our FAQ. 

To receive registration alerts, sign up for our newsletter. 

The general registration and registration for the waitlist for the 2019 Daffodil Project is now closed. Thank you for your interest and participation! 

 

La registración general y la registración para la lista de espera para esta temporada del Proyecto de los Narcisos ya cerró. ¡Muchas gracias por su interés y participación!

 

All bulb distributions take place from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. From 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, NY4P distributes all unclaimed bulbs to people who joined the waiting list either online or in-person at the distribution.

• Staten Island: Saturday, 9/14 at Brookfield Park

• Brooklyn: Saturday, 9/21 at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket 

• Queens: Saturday, 9/28 at the Overlook at Forest Park

• Queens: Saturday, 10/5 at the Rockaways Firehouse at Beach 59th

• Bronx: Saturday, 10/12 at St. Mary's Park

• Manhattan: Sunday, 10/13 at Union Square

 

For news about events and opportunities to get involved, sign up for our newsletter. 

 

Interactive map of all 2018 season plantings of The Daffodil Project.

Everyone who receives bulbs will receive detailed planting instructions when they pick up their bulbs.

You can download also download the instructions here: 

• Daffodil Planting Instructions in English
• Daffodil Planting Instructions in Spanish (instrucciones para sembrar narcisos en español)
• Daffodil Planting Instructions in Simplified Chinese (种植及护理指引)

You can also watch the instructional video below!

If you are organizing a planting with local youth in your neighborhood, consider using our Youth Activity Guides to engage and activate them!

• Youth Activity Guide in English
• Youth Activity Guide in Spanish (guía de actividades para la juventud del Proyecto de los Narcisos en español)
• Youth Activity Guide in Simplified Chinese (水仙花项目活动指南)

 

Help us spread the word about The Daffodil Project! 

If you want to give your neighbors and friends information about our project, you can either steer them to this web page (the one you're on right now!) or you can give them a copy of our latest Blooming Pamphlet!

• 2019 Blooming Pamphlet in English
• 2019 Blooming Pamphlet in Spanish (panfleto informativo en español)
• 2019 Blooming Pamphlet in Simplified Chinese

 

If you're organizing a local planting event and invited press to come report on it, be sure to inform them about The Daffodil Project and NY4P! Below are press and social media guides meant to aid you in spreading the word.

• Press and Social Media Guide in English
• Press and Social Media Guide in Spanish (guía para prensa y redes sociales en español)
  
• Press and Social Media Guide in Simplified Chinese (在社交媒体上)
  

 

You are welcome to plant daffodil bulbs in any public open space in New York City! This means parks, playgrounds, community gardens, street tree beds, schoolyards, NYCHA campuses, churches, DOT plazas, cemeteries, and more -- anywhere the public will be able to see them and enjoy them!

• In a park: If you want to plant in a park, but haven’t done so before, we encourage you to look up your Partnerships for Parks Outreach Coordinator. They can help you to get in touch with the park manager for permission to plant your bulbs.
• In front of a business: If you want to plant in a tree pit that is in front of a local business, you could stop in to ask if they are already doing anything to care for the tree, and express an interest in beautifying it by planting bulbs. This could be a great chance to see if they would help with the longer-term care and maintenance of the tree pit – for instance, maybe they could help you keep garbage out of the pit on a regular basis and/or could help with watering during the warmer months.

 

Whether you've been working in your local open spaces for years, or you're just getting started, The Daffodil Project is an easy and effective way to build and strengthen your community by working together toward a common goal. Many of NYC's strongest and most effective park advocates and activists got their start by planting daffodil bulbs from NY4P. 

And it's not just about parks - New Yorkers across the city use The Daffodil Project as a way to meet their neighbors, provide after school and weekend activities for young people, give seniors an opportunity to exercise and engage, educate themselves and others about sustainability and horticulture, and in many other ways. If you see a need for your community, there's a good chance that The Daffodil Project can help!

If you'd like help starting or growing your park volunteer group, reach out to a Partnerships for Parks Outreach Coordinator who can connect you with education and resources.

 

Get more involved in The Daffodil Project by volunteering with our Bulb Brigade! 

The Bulb Brigade registration for the 2019 Daffodil Season is now closed.

Check in summer 2020 to sign up for the next Bulb Brigade opportunities!

Possible volunteer activities will be:

• Distributing bulbs at the fall distribution events: NY4P sponsors distribution days in each of the five boroughs in the fall, during which anyone who has pre-registered for free bulbs can pick up their orders. Bulb Brigade volunteers are needed to bag and distribute bulbs and collect registrants’ information. Distribution days are great opportunities to meet park and neighborhood advocates from around the city and help us spread the word about the Daffodil Project and NY4P’s broader advocacy mission.

If you would like more information, or if you are a community group who received Daffodil Project bulbs and would like to request the help of the Bulb Brigade, please reach out to the person of contact listed at the bottom of this page.

 

Like most New Yorkers in the fall of 2001, NY4P Board Member and public garden designer Lynden Miller was grieving in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when she received a fax from Hans van Waardenburg, a Dutch bulb supplier with whom she had worked for many years.

"He had written, 'I feel so distressed and heartbroken for New York. New York and my country have had a long relationship going back to New Amsterdam. ... I just wish there was something I could do,'" Miller told the New York Daily News in 2011.

"And I sent back, 'Hans, you don't have any extra bulbs, do you?'"

Around the same time, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe had a similar idea: planting yellow daffodils – the color of remembrance – across the city.  

Then the ship arrived in New York Harbor, one of the very first after the harbor reopened, and with it, a gift: one million daffodil bulbs from van Waardenburg and the City of Rotterdam.

That fall, more than 10,000 volunteers joined NY4P to initiate the Project. In 2007, Mayor Bloomberg named the daffodil the city’s official flower in recognition of the millions of daffodils that had bloomed every spring since 2001.

Today, the initiative remains a powerful memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks, and its spirit is defined by the thousands of New Yorkers who join together to make their neighborhoods, and their city, a more beautiful place to live. 

 

You can share the Daffodil Project by dedicating daffodils in honor of a family member, friend, or your favorite community organization. They'll receive a customized daffodil certificate commemorating your support of communities across New York City in their honor.

Give a gift that never stops blooming!

Donation Levels

$25 – 250 bulbs, beautifying tree pits along a street
$50 – 500 bulbs, brightening up a community garden
$100 – 1,000 bulbs, filling a schoolyard
$250 – 2,500 bulbs, revitalizing a neighborhood park
$500 – 5,000 bulbs, across a whole borough
$1,000 – 10,000 bulbs to plant throughout New York City

Please note that these free bulbs are distributed to anyone who agrees to plant them in public spaces throughout the five boroughs. NY4P cannot guarantee that the bulbs will be designated to a specific park or borough.

 

A springtime tradition since 2002, the Daffodil Breakfast celebrates individuals and organizations whose dedication to their neighborhood and city exemplifies the Daffodil Project’s spirit of volunteerism and stewardship. The Breakfast helps to fund NY4P's work through the Daffodil Project. 

Learn more about Daffodil Breakfast and the honorees.

 

The Daffodil Project has been going strong for over 17 years, but it wouldn’t be possible without the help of our many partner organizations:

Our longstanding partner, Con Edison, has supported the project since 2003 and we are grateful for their continued generosity and engagement with local parks groups for volunteer planting days. Recently, we have partnered with Delta Air Lines and NYC & Company for plantings and park clean ups in parks throughout New York City. We are also proud to give thousands of bulbs each year to both Partnerships for Parks and New York City Housing Authority. NY4P also relies on the help of the NYC Parks Storehouse in the Bronx to house half a million daffodil bulbs each fall and ensure that these bulbs find their way to communities throughout the city.

This year, we are excited to announce a new partnership with New York Road Runners. A “Planting Marathon” took place at five New York Road Runners Open Run locations, one in each borough, following the route of the New York Marathon. These plantings brought together runners and park stewards, giving participants a chance to care for and beautify their local green spaces.

We also have new collaborations this year with the offices of Council Member Joseph Borelli, Council Member Eric A. Ulrich, and State Senator Marty Golden, who will all be distributing bulbs and park stewardship information to their constituents from their offices.

English/Español:
Gabriella Cappo
Outreach Coordinator & The Daffodil Project Director
212-838-9410, ex.303 
gcappo@ny4p.org

 

Do I need an ID to pick up my bulbs? No. All you need to provide us with is your first and last name.

Can I send someone to pick up the bulbs on my behalf? Yes! Just let whomever is picking them up know that they must check in with your name. Even if you are part of a group (i.e. school, gardening club, etc.) our system organizes the distribution list by the name of the person that requested the bulbs.

How much do my daffodil bulbs weigh? The large net bags (550 bulbs) weigh about 35 to 40 pounds. The tote bags with 350 and 200 weigh about 15 to 25 pounds. We suggest that you bring a hand cart to transport them.

Will there still be a distribution if it’s raining? Yes. All of our distribution events are rain or shine.

How did you choose the distribution location? Do I have to request to pick up the bulbs in the borough I live in? In order to provide all New Yorkers with the opportunity to beautify their neighborhood open spaces, our small outreach team does its best to provide multiple distribution locations that are accessible to as many participants as possible. This might mean that we aren’t distributing the bulbs in your neighborhood park, but we try to ensure that pick-up locations are relatively close to mass transit and parking where possible. We provide multiple dates throughout the fall, so that you may be able to find the most convenient location and time for your schedule. If the distribution in your home borough doesn’t work for you, we encourage you to select another distribution location that does!

Why can’t I request a larger amount of bulbs? While we would love to be able to provide every group with as many bulbs as possible, NY4P is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to provide the funding to purchase our bulbs. Each full bag of bulbs (550) costs approximately $50, and we have over 1,500 individuals who receive bulbs from us at no cost. Depending on our funding, some years we can order more bulbs than others. While we understand it can be frustrating to receive fewer bulbs than you might have the year prior, we are doing our best to accommodate every individual who has requested bulbs. As a result, that sometimes means we have to make cuts to the maximum number of bulbs any one group can receive. If you are interested in donating to help us buy our daffodil bulbs, you can support the work of NY4P and The Daffodil Project here.

What happens if I show up late? We will begin to distribute any unclaimed bulbs to individuals who are on the waitlist during the last 30 minutes of each distribution (from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.). If you show up after 12:30 p.m., we will still try to honor your registration, however, the waitlist is on a first-come first-serve basis. Once bulbs have been claimed, we cannot guarantee bulbs for those who registered. If you know you will be arriving to your distribution between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., you can let us know in advance so we hold your bulbs aside.

I submitted my daffodil request. When will I hear back or get a reminder? When you sign up for daffodils, please make sure that you receive an email from someone from the NY4P team that acknowledges your request. You can then expect to receive an email from that same individual on the Wednesday before your distribution date. 

I never received an email acknowledging my registration. What should I do? Call or email the contact person listed in our Contact section to make sure you're on the list.

How can I get more bulbs? For those that would like more bulbs than their original order, you are welcome to request a ticket for the waitlist period, and come back at 12:30 p.m., when we will be distributing any unclaimed bulbs to those on the waitlist.

What happens if I’m on the waitlist? The waitlist for bulbs begins as soon as regular registration ends. Waitlist registrants may check-in starting at 12:30 p.m. at every bulb distribution. We will distribute any unclaimed bulbs to registrants on the waitlist, ending at 1:00 p.m. Please note that we work to equitably distribute the bulbs that are left to everyone who is on the waitlist - bulbs and bulb quantities are NOT guaranteed, but we do our best to ensure that everyone will walk away with some bulbs to plant. The Wednesday prior to the distribution date you selected during waitlist registration, you will receive a reminder email with the details of the event.

Where can I plant my daffodils? When requesting bulbs, it is great to have in mind a space where you can plant them. Some great locations include neighborhood tree pits, community gardens, schools, parks, and planters in front of buildings – basically, anywhere that the public can see and enjoy them in the five boroughs of NYC! Check out our Resources section for more detailed information on picking a place to plant.

How do I plant daffodil bulbs? Everyone who receives bulbs will receive detailed planting instructions when they pick up their bulbs. You can also download planting instructions in English, Spanish, and Chinese from the Resources section.

Can you give me tools for my bulb planting? Unfortunately, no. We do encourage you to look into small grants and crowdfunding if you are in need of supplies. Our friends at the Citizens Committee for New York City and ioby can help make this happen!

When is the best time to plant? Daffodil bulbs should be planted after the weather cools down, usually mid-October through the first week of December. It is important to get them in the ground before the first frost! If you aren’t planting your bulbs right away, we suggest you store your bulbs in a cool, dry place until you can plant them. 

Is there anything I can do for NY4P in return for getting free bulbs? Yes! 

• Spread the word: We always love when bulb recipients spread the word about The Daffodil Project, so please let your friends, family, and neighbors in NYC know that they can get free bulbs through our program. 
  • You can download our informational pamphlet about The Daffodil Project in our Resources section.

• Tell the press: If you are planning to have press around on your bulb planting day, we ask that you mention that the bulbs you are planting came from the New Yorkers for Parks Daffodil Project. This kind of coverage helps more New Yorkers discover our program! 
  • You can download our press and social media guide in our Resources section.

• Post on social media: We love to see pictures of your planting events, and we especially love seeing pictures of the daffodils in bloom once spring arrives! 
• Post about the Project and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
• Use the hashtags: #TheDaffodilProject #DaffodilProject #NY4P #NewYorkersForParks

• Send us your daffodil photos: Please send your photos to ny4p@ny4p.org or tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – your photos help us see the impact we are having on NYC!