Thank you to everyone who made the 2023 Daffodil Project a success! We’re grateful to every volunteer and participant, and of course to our amazing partners at the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

Special thanks to Con Edison, Bloomberg Philanthropies, National Grid, and the Greenacre Foundation, and our generous individual donors! Happy planting - we can’t wait to see the bulbs bloom come spring.

As part of its 20th anniversary in 2021, the Daffodil Project launched a creative awareness campaign featuring a new logo design by Michael De Feo, a New York City-based artist celebrated for his floral paintings and urban art.

Your gift makes a big difference! Give $250 or more and receive a limited edition screen print, numbered and signed by De Feo. Give $75 or more and receive a Made-In-USA Daffodil Project tote bag!

Established in 2001, NY4P’s Daffodil Project is the largest volunteer effort in NYC history. It is a living memorial to the victims of 9/11 and Covid-19, a celebration of the New Yorkers championing parks equity in their communities, and a catalyst for citywide civic engagement advancing NY4P's call for 1% of the city budget for NYC Parks.

For the project's 21st year, NY4P gave out 750,000 bulbs to thousands of New Yorkers in every borough! We held distribution events at Union Square, Manhattan; Brookfield Park, Staten Island; Mill Pond Park, the Bronx; Queens; Forest Park, Queens; and Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

The Daffodil Project has become a beloved civic program that contributes to the beauty and vibrancy of New York City's parks and public spaces. It’s also an incredible vehicle for engaging New Yorkers in the care and stewardship of the public realm. We’re so grateful to our generous donors for helping make the project happen, and to the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who picked up and planted bulbs this fall.

Thank you to all the volunteers and project participants, and of course to our amazing partners at the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. Special thanks to our longtime Daffodil Project supporters: Con Edison, Delta Air Lines, Citi, and the Greenacre Foundation, and our generous individual donors.

 

Looking to get involved? Fill out our volunteer survey to be contacted about volunteer opportunities at distributions next fall.

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 twenty years of bulb distributions, plantings, and perennial blooms, the Daffodil Project’s mission has grown. Today, the project serves as a catalyst for citywide parks stewardship and civic engagement advancing NY4P’s call for 1% of the city budget for NYC Parks, a celebration of the New Yorkers championing parks equity and resilience in their communities, and a memorial for the victims of September 11 and the Covid-19 pandemic.

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 mail.zohocommerce.com. If you cannot locate this email in your inbox or spam folder, email ny4p@ny4p.org. 

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 mail.zohocommerce.com 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: #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!

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 questions about corporate partnership opportunities, please email Kristen Gelinas at kgelinas@ny4p.org

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

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 Kristen Gelinas at kgelinas@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.