Volunteers help plant another 5,000 daffodil bulbs in Mount St. Mary Park

Effort part of River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles’ Project Daffodil

The western edge of Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles was bursting with color earlier this year after the 5,000 daffodil bulbs that volunteers had planted last October started to bloom.

On Saturday, volunteers helped the nonprofit River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles plant another 5,000 daffodil bulbs next to last year’s planting area as part of the group’s Project Daffodil effort. They also planted 150 native Virginia bluebells.

Among those helping out were members of the Pottawatomie Garden Club, known for its beautification efforts around the city. Cris Anderson, a past president of the group, was one of the members helping plant the bulbs. She has been a member of the club since 1978.

Before planting the bulbs, Anderson and others had a lot of digging to do. And all the rain the area has received recently made that digging much easier.

“It sure made a difference,” she said. “That’s a blessing. And it’s a beautiful sunny day, so we couldn’t ask for anything better. It’s just a perfect fall day for doing this.”

The Pottawatomie Garden Club was just one organization that was helping with the project. Anderson was pleased to see other groups involved in the effort.

“What I like the most is to see all the clubs and all the organizations and all the groups getting together,” she said. “That’s the beauty part of it.”

The St. Charles Kiwanis Club was another group helping out along with its high school affiliate, the St. Charles North High School Key Club. The group helped out last year as well.

“I’ve lived in this community for over 50 years and anything I can do to make it a little more beautiful, I’ll do it,” St. Charles Kiwanis Club member Dave Mack said.

As St. Charles Kiwanis Club member Harrison Schneider noted, the Kiwanis Club’s mission is to serve the children of the world.

“One of the ways that we met that mission today was to work hand in hand with our Key Club kids,” Schneider said.

St. Charles-based Heinz Brothers Greenhouse is the presenting sponsor for Project Daffodil and the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles and the St. Charles Park District are coordinating sponsors. Other sponsors include The Ivy Academy of Early Learning, Midwest Compost, True Knack Graphics, Corcoran Commercial and the Kane County Chronicle.

As Project Daffodil Coordinator John Rabchuk noted, the project is far from over.

“We think there’s room for another 30,000 to 40,000 bulbs yet, for future years,” he said. “In the springtime all the flowers come out and it’s a really gorgeous display. They last for about five weeks and we’ve got I think five or six different varieties. And they each bloom a little bit different, so it makes the blooming season go a little bit longer.”