Daffodil planting season
Though you will not be able to see them for about six months, there’s currently 10,000 daffodils planted and ready to come to life during the spring along the TransCanada Highway.
Members of the Daffodil Project, alongside a large group of volunteers got on their hands and knees Saturday to plant 10,000 bulbs near Medicine Hat College for Hatters and anyone who passes by to enjoy.
“Today the goal is to get 10,000 daffodil bulbs in the ground,” said Daffodil Project chair Gillian Slade. “We’re doing really well today, and we’re on track to reach that number. We’ve had a lot of help today from a lot of volunteers and people in the community giving a bit of their time, as well as some politicians who have stopped by.”
This fall is the third planting season for the group, and Slade says the project began as a way of making Medicine Hat look just a little bit nicer after the snow melts.
“This started by driving around in the spring and noticing when the snow is gone, there’s just grunge everywhere,” she said. “It just looks pretty awful in some places, and it’s going to be a while before the annual flowers start blooming. That’s when I thought about daffodils, being one of the earliest blooming plants in the spring.”
The goal of the Daffodil Project is to have one million bulbs planted along the highway between Medicine Hat and Redcliff, creating a 10kilometre stretch by 2025. Slade says this is something she and the rest of the volunteers do for fun.
“This isn’t something that’s going to change the world,” she said. “We do this just for pleasure. It’s something that can bring a smile to some peoples’ faces as they drive along the highway in the spring.”
For more information on the project, and how to get involved with its initiatives, go to www.medhatdaffodils.wordpress.com