Boston Blooms : Friends of North End Parks to Fund 10,000 Daffodil Bulbs

Boston will bloom, next  Spring with its Greenway resplendent in daffodils and crocuses, later a cornucopia of perennials and their colors thanks to the efforts of Mayor Thomas Menino, his “Boston Blooms” program and hundreds of volunteers and funding from the North End “Friends of North End Parks” (FOTNEP).

City Parks throughout Boston are the true beneficiaries as are local residents and visitors.

At its weekly meeting Wednesday night, hosted at the Mariner House, North Street, and open to the public, the “Friends” group, Friends of the North End Parks, received the letter they had awaited and negotiated from Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy Chair, Georgia Murray.

Clearance and the go ahead allowing the Friends to fund from its own resources upwards of 10,000 daffodil bulbs, for planting this season for early Spring bloom received the green light from Murray and her staff horticulturist Stu Schillaber shortly after 6 pm.

A lengthy Permit Application process had inhibited a pre-established collaborative process set in motion months ago between the Friends group and Greenway Executive Director Nancy Brennan.

Fortuitously the immediacy of the October-November planting season, as well as the “Boston Blooms” initiative by Mayor Menino, the City Parks Department, and the urging of Friends of the North End Parks, which is prepared to self-fund and provide free professional horticultural guidance, allowed for the setting of the near-term planting dates: Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 (rain date November 7).

What appeared to be a developing contentious, ill-timed seasonal beautification process, devolving from a collaborative start was concluded collaboratively when RKGC Chair, Murray acquiesced in Brennan’s absence and cleared the permitting hurdles to speed the process.

The Friends of the North End Parks (FOTNEP) immediately commenced final planning and staging for the November 2nd and 3rd planting programs, in co-operation and co-collaboration with Greenway Conservancy staff and volunteers.