‘5,000 REASONS
TO SMILE’ PROJECT DAFFODIL PLANTS MUCH MORE THAN BULBS By Allison Bills | Photos provided by the River Corridor Foundation
E
veryone needs a reason to smile — and the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles hopes that Project Daffodil will do just that.
Initiated by the foundation, Project Daffodil planted 5,000 daffodil bulbs across 23 6-by-18 plots in October. More than 100 people, all socially distanced, volunteered with the intention of bringing a stunning floral display to the beloved Mt. St. Mary Park.
Moad says the flowers will likely fully bloom starting in April and will be visible for around six to eight weeks. Some have already started to peek through as the ground has begun thawing. “These daffodils we planted should have some varying bloom times, so that’ll help the array last a little longer,” Moad says, noting they planted yellow, white and orange daffodils. “I would anticipate early April, but if we have a warm March, it may be earlier.”
“We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could do something that could really create a floral bouquet for the city come 2021?’” says Laurel Moad, co-chair of Project Daffodil and secretary of the River Corridor Foundation. “What an amazing thing to be able to present to the community and visitors and help us emerge from a horrible year of dealing with COVID-19.”
But they’re not stopping at the 5,000 they planted this year. Project Daffodil hopes to continue planting 5,000 new bulbs every year along the river heading south until they reach 100,000, if possible.
They chose daffodils instead of any other bulb because daffodils are a universal symbol of rejuvenation. “They’re a bit more hearty of a bulb and they’re also a little bit more squirrel-resistant,” Moad adds, laughing.
“This is a very large signature project for us and it’s a very different kind of project for us,” Moad says. “We hope it’ll give the community 5,000 reasons to smile.”
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