City of Detroit’s 4 million daffodils are now in bloom

2025
Daffodils pic

 

  • The City of Detroit has now reached 4 million daffodils planted.
  • This fall, the City of Detroit General Services Department’s Floriculture Division plans to add another 500,000 to 600,000 bulbs.
  • In addition to the bulbs that the city purchases, Daffodils4Detroit, a nonprofit organization, plans to donate 70,000 bulbs to be planted on Belle Isle. 

 

In honor of Earth Day, the General Services Department’s Floriculture Division is excited to announce that its reached four million daffodils in the City of Detroit and on Belle Isle. Despite roller coaster spring weather, the City of Detroit’s, with support from Daffodils4Detroit, efforts to beautify the city can be shown off in the bloom of millions of daffodils.

“A lot of people like daffodils because they’re the first flower to really come up, they’re a sign of spring and they enjoy the yellow,” said floriculture manager Devin Lyons. “We put a lot of labor into them, so to know it makes an impression on people brings our team so much pride.

Daffodils are planted in parks, neighborhoods and medians. The best displays of daffodils this season include:

  • Jayne Playground
  • Gabriel Richard Park
  • Oakman between Linwood and Dexter
  • LaSalle Park

"I don't know another city that has embarked on a project like this and with the magnitude we've been implementing at just over 4 million and adding every year," said Barry Burton, project manager for Horticulture and Landscape Design. "We hope to someday have at least 10 million bulbs blooming in the spring." 

The key to this program being successful year after year stems not only from the planting done by GSD’s Floriculture Division, but the Ground Maintenance Division too. Their mowing teams mow the daffodils down after blooming, to ensure they return for the next season. Daffodils need time after they finish blooming to soak up the sun which replenishes energy in their bulbs so that they come back year after year.  Without it, they may send up green stalks without flowers and after a few years of mowing them down too early, they will disappear.

“This has become a beautiful Detroit Spring tradition I truly enjoy,” said Crystal Perkins, Director of City of Detroit General Services Department. “The millions of daffodils across the city look gorgeous when they bloom each spring and have become a symbol for the city’s continued resilience and growth.”

This fall, the City of Detroit General Services Department’s Floriculture Division plans to add another 500,000 to 600,000 bulbs. In addition to the bulbs that the city purchases, Daffodils4Detroit plans to donate 70,000 bulbs to be planted on Belle Isle. In 2024, the nonprofit organization donated 100,000 bulbs.