Detroit has flower power.

Daffodils are beginning to bloom along medians and in parks thanks to the 265,000 bulbs planted over the past few years.

It’s all part of a beautification program to plant 1,000,000 daffodils across the city by the fall of 2020.

Another 209,500 bulbs are being planted by city crews this year, says Brad Dick, who runs the city’s General Services Department.

“City crews have done a lot of the basic things to remove the unattractive things Detroiters have had to deal with for years, like graffiti, illegal dumping and blighted buildings,” he says.  “Now we are transitioning to programs that actually beautifies our city, whether it’s improving our parks, planting 10,000 new trees or something as simple as planting flowers.  It all adds up to a more beautiful and attractive city for everyone.”

The program began in fall of 2014 with a small staff of four employees who planted 16,000 bulbs at Palmer Park, and has gradually grown into a major citywide initiative. Another 34,000 bulbs were planted in Rouge Park, Belle Isle, Balduck, Boyer, and Pingree Park in 2015.  In 2016, 21 parks and medians were included in the beautification plan with the idea to “paint spring throughout the City.”

The project really took off last October when a team of nine workers planted more than 209,000 bulbs, thanks in large part to a donation of 50,000 Dutch Master’ Daffodils from the Michigan Division of the Woman’s National Farm & Garden Association, led by Robin Heller, chair for the Daffodils 4 Detroit.

We are excited about this announcement to plant 1,000,000 daffodils in the city of Detroit and we will continue our daffodil commitment as symbol of hope and rebirth,” Heller said.

Some of the species of flowers often used to create the painting effect are the ‘Dutch Master’ Daffodil, ‘Mt. Hood’ Daffodil, Blue Scilla, and Tulip ‘Teletubby’ Orange, to name a few.

“Residents have really responded well to the daffodils program and we love doing it,” says Dick. “So we just decided to keep going until we planted one million, and we may not stop there.”

Why daffodils”?

“Aside from being beautiful, the squirrels leave them alone, he says. “If we planted one million tulips, they’d be gone and we’d have a lot of well-fed squirrels.”

Here’s a map of the location where daffodils already been planted and are starting to bloom.

Below are the locations where 209,650 daffodil bulbs will be planted this fall:

• Jefferson medians (at Altar going west), 2,500 blubs
• Erma Henderson Park, 1,200 bulbs
• Belle Isle – Jefferson grass medians, 50,000 bulbs, Donated by the Michigan Division of the Woman’s National Farm & Garden Association
• Lincolnshire Park, 17,100 bulbs
• Lafayette medians, 14,000 bulbs
• Riverside (E. Grand Blvd. medians) 13,700 bulbs
• Rosa Parks medians, 12,700 bulbs
• Higgins Park, 9,450 bulbs
• Oakman (medians at Davidson, 8,800 bulbs
• Mansfield-Diversey Park, 8,050 bulbs
• Viola-Liuzzo Park, 7,100
• Jefferson/Belle Isle Entrance (flower beds), 7,000 bulbs
• Simmons Park, 6,300 bulbs
• Syracuse Park, 6,000 blubs
• LaSalle Park, 5,700 bulbs
• Gordon Park, 4,600 bulbs
• Lafayette Park/Jefferson, 4,250 bulbs
• Szafraniec Park, 4,000 bulbs
• Gorham Park, 3,850 bulbs
• Hackett Park, 3,600 bulbs
• Doan Park, 3,300 bulbs
• Wells Park 2,800 bulbs
• Field park, 2,400 bulbs
• Luce – St. Louis, 1,800 bulbs
• Chandler, 1,600 bulbs
• Yakisch Park, 1,300 bulbs
• Sak Park, 1,200 bulbs
• Boyer Park, 1,200 bulbs
• Latham Park, 1,050 bulbs
• Mack and Warren, 800 bulbs
• Scripps Park, 800 bulbs
• Hansen Park, 600 bulbs
• Cross Park, 500 bulbs
• Davison, 400 bulbs

  Balduck, Beautifying Detroit, belle isle, Boyer, City of Detroit General Services Department, flowers along Detroit streets, Michigan Division of the Woman’s National Farm & Garden Association, Palmer Park, Pingree Park, Rouge Park