The Daffodil Project's daffodils growing fast at Len Mitzel Meadow.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
The Daffodil Project is celebrating the blooming season and currently Len Mitzel Meadow is leading the way with daffodil leaves emerging from the ground.
This is an area where 12,000 bulbs were planted last fall.
Len Mitzel Meadow is located south of the Trans-Canada Highway between the College and 13th Avenue SE overpasses. It was named in honour of the former MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat when Adair Prouty donated 20,000 bulbs to be planted there. It is a route Mitzel used when leaving his office to return to Foremost.
The Daffodil Project’s goal is to see 1 million daffodil bulbs planted along the Trans-Canada Highway between Redcliff and Dunmore in a 10-year project that culminates in 2025. The purpose is simply to beautify the area each spring and bring smiles to the faces of people travelling along the highway.
The bulbs are planted in the fall, bloom in the spring and re-emerge the following spring.
The Daffodil Project depends on donations from the public to purchase bulbs, and every cent donated goes towards the purchase of bulbs. All other services and items required are donated to the project.
Other daffodil planting areas are a little bit slower than Len Mitzel Meadow with a few shoots only appearing recently. In some cases the ground is still hard and cold. The location and depth of planting affects the rate of growth each spring.
It will likely be early May before the first flowers appear this year. That is similar to last year.
This fall will be the fifth planting season with the most bulbs to plant in one season thus far – about 45,000. This includes another donation of 20,000 bulbs in memory of family members. A formal announcement will be made soon.
The Daffodil Project committee has not finalized the planting locations for this fall. Application also has to be made to Alberta Transportation for permits for each planting location.
Additional information about The Daffodil Project is available on its website: medhatdaffodils.wordpress.com
You can follow the project on Twitter: @medhatdaffodils
You can donate money for bulbs directly into the trust account at: ATB Financial with this number: 07329-00410789600.
There are also donation boxes at the Tourist Centre and Medicine Hat News.
