Daffodils in October: Volunteers Needed!
Posted in Programs and Events on October 10th, 2012 by Matt Newman – Be the first to comment
Fair warning, northerners: you’ll have to forgive me for bringing up the touchy subject of warm weather. I know it seems like I’m teasing your patience with the far-off return of shorts and sandals, food trucks, and musty coats gone to closet, especially with the chilly stuff still ahead of us; the leaves have hardly given an autumn shrug, much less an autumn change. But when it comes to New York’s official flower–the daffodil–even standing at snow’s door step is a good time to talk about next spring’s blossoms!
Actually, it’s the best of times.
On Thursday, October 11, the NYBG not only celebrates a Garden tradition that dates back nearly a century, but recognizes how that tradition finds new meaning in recent years. Daffodil Hill has remained the spring pride of this organization since the early 20th century, when thousands of white and buttermilk yellow blooms would wake to send off winter with carpets of sunny color. And they still do! Daffodils, being perennials, are a hardy lot that bounces back year after year, often with more flowers to boast than the spring before. In the years following 9/11, the species came to represent the resilience and beauty of the people of New York–so much so that Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially recognized the daffodil as the flower of New York City in 2007. As a symbol of remembrance, the daffodil has been planted in the millions throughout the five boroughs, brightening parks in Manhattan just as they bunch around street trees in Brooklyn.
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