April showers bring May flowers, but November powers it all.
The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy’s ninth annual LIC Bulbfest returns to the East River Waterfront in Western Queens on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Several dozen volunteers are expected to plant more than 20,000 bulbs — 6,100 tulips, 6,000 daffodils, 5,895 alliums, and 3,000 Dutch irises — in Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunter’s Point South Park.
All are invited. Neither skills nor experience is necessary, but registration is requested.
Right before LIC Bulbfest, the volunteers will check in at Gantry Plaza State Park in the vicinity of Central Boulevard and 48th Avenue. Then after receiving tools, gloves, and gardening instructions, they’ll do some planting.
Immediate gratification will come via free refreshments right after the event. Delayed satisfaction will come in the spring, when the bulbs grow and bloom, creating beautiful flowers and wonderful smells.
“This year has been particularly difficult on the park plants, with high amounts of rain and heat leading to an explosion of weeds,” reads a statement by Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, which was founded as Friends of Gantry Plaza State Park in 1998. “Volunteers have helped HPPC remove over 1,600 bags of weeds already this year, and we are extremely grateful to the park staff and volunteers who help keep our spaces looking their best with both weeding and planting. The bulbs will provide a beautiful pop of color in the parks starting in the early spring for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
