New Yorkers who participated in the 2024 Daffodil Project helped usher in a new era for this historic initiative. Over the past year we’ve evolved the Daffodil Project into a vehicle for civic engagement, convening parks stewards to advance a shared vision for a more equitable parks system and planting bulbs and native pollinator seeds!

At lively distributions in every borough, we worked with volunteers to distribute over five hundred thousand daffodil bulbs and thousands of native seed packets. We heard from participants about the impact of recent NYC Parks budget cuts on the neighborhood parks and community gardens they steward, continuing the conversation started on our online survey and offering opportunities to plug into our year-round advocacy. We were thrilled to introduce our pollinator pilot program, partnering with NYC Parks’ Greenbelt Native Plant Center to create a proprietary seed packet of native perennials. When planted alongside your bulbs, these seeds help promote healthy ecosystems, prevent soil erosion, and support wildlife.

And for our inaugural Harlem distribution at A. Philip Randolph Square, we partnered with the A. Philip Randolph Square Neighborhood Alliance, Manhattan Community Board 10 and the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. Together we activated the square, conducting a survey and voter registration drive, sharing neighborhood parks data, and distributing bulbs and pollinator seeds.

We’re so grateful to our community partners, including Gregory Baggett, Manhattan CB10, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. Thank you to our dedicated volunteers, and to the team at NYC Parks whose longstanding partnership makes this initiative possible. A special thank you to Con Edison, National Grid, Hydro Québec, Champlain Hudson Power Express, Greenacre Foundation and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for their critical support.

For the 2024 Daffodil Project, we were thrilled to announce our first-ever native pollinator giveaway pilot program!

We partnered with the Greenbelt Native Plant Center (GNPC) to select a proprietary blend of native perennial pollinators (pictured from left): Penstemon digitalis, Zizea aurea, Geum canadense, Labelia siphilitica, Oenothera biennis, Eupatorium hyssopifolium, Lespedeza capilata, Juncus greenei, Symphyotrichum laeve.

Participants received a small seed packet 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.

The 2024 Daffodil Project wouldn't be possible without the support of our volunteers, community partners, and donors.  

Your gift makes a big difference! Give $250 or more and receive a limited-edition screen print, numbered and signed by NYC-based artist Michael 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.

Each year, NY4P distributes hundreds of thousands of free daffodil bulbs to New Yorkers in every borough. Participants then work alongside other volunteers to plant bulbs in their communities before the first frost: in public parks, tree pits, community gardens, schools, and more. Come March, yellow daffodil blooms mark the city's first signs of spring, a symbol of our collective resilience and commitment to improving and advocating for NYC's parks and open spaces

 

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 questions about corporate partnership opportunities, please email Samantha Davis at sdavis@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 Samantha Davis at sdavis@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.