This fall The Daffodil Project will hit a record and plant 40,000 daffodil bulbs in one planting season.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
This fall The Daffodil Project will plant its most bulbs ever in one planting season.
Previously the record had been 30,000 bulbs planted but this year there will be 40,000.
The bulbs have been ordered and the planting dates already determined. On Sept. 21 a total of 20,000 bulbs will be planted at Pierce Place (near the Tepee).
John Pierce donated 20,000 bulbs in memory of his wife, Anne Marie, who passed away in March 2016, and their son Darrell last fall.
The chosen location is particularly fitting considering the nearby baseball diamonds acknowledging Darrell’s love of sports and in particular baseball.
The second planting day for the remaining 20,000 bulbs will be Sept. 28 at Len Mitzel Meadow between Shepherd Crescent and the Trans-Canada Highway near the College Avenue overpass.
In 2018 Adair Prouty announced a donation of 20,000 bulbs in honour of the late Mitzel former MLA for Cypress Medicine Hat.
Due to businesses which provide free use of equipment and an abundance of volunteers, The Daffodil Project is able to plant this volume of bulbs in one day.
If you would like to volunteer, there are a couple ways to participate. People are needed to fill buckets with bulbs, others place the actual bulbs in the furrows that are created with machinery. There are also rakes and shovels to pull the soil back on top of those bulbs. Other people lightly step on the furrows to ensure the bulbs are snug in the ground. Volunteers are normally scheduled for an hour or two.
There are always drinks provided and some home-baking to keep everyone’s energy level up.
Due to an enormous early response The Daffodil Project already has enough volunteers for Sept. 21. There is a large youth group scheduled and the Pierce family is bringing friends and family to participate in this special occasion for them.
Volunteers are required for Sept. 28 at Len Mitzel Meadow. Volunteers doing the digging with ditch-witches usually start around 8:30 a.m. and volunteers for the other jobs from 9:30 a.m. to about 2 p.m.
If you want to help email hatdaffodils@gmail.com with your name the time you would like to come.
For more information about The Daffodil Project visit medhatdaffodils.wordpress.com, or contact by email at hatdaffodils@gmail.com and by phone at 403-528-8635.
