2026 Bulb Giveaway Announcement

Every fall, Bloom Rhode Island gives local groups and nonprofits more than 200,000 free flower bulbs to plant, in publicly visible places next to heavy foot traffic, which will flower the following March. 

Please click here to complete our bulb request form by Friday, September 4th 2026 or earlier. Bulbs are offered on a "first come-first served" basis, so do not delay in applying, we do not want anyone to miss out! 

Who can participate

You should be a group of three or more people (such as three neighbors) or a nonprofit organization. You must have already acquired permission to plant bulbs in the ground (i.e. not in a container) close to a busy walkway in a densely settled neighborhood in Providence, Central Falls, Pawtucket, East Providence or Woonsocket. We will help as many groups as possible, but cannot guarantee bulb availability for everyone. You must submit this form to request your bulbs by Friday, September 4th, 2026, or earlier.

Past planting partners include:

Community Libraries of Providence

Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative

Friends of Daggett Farm (Pawtucket)

Segue Institute For Learning (Central Falls)

PACE-RI (East Providence)

Where you should plant

The land you plant on should be publicly visible and accessible such as a sidewalk strip, public building walkway, park, nonprofit front entry, etc. It may not be a personal front yard, it must be a public or otherwise shared space. Areas with heavy foot traffic and densely populated areas with a high portion of residents who don't have their own yards will be prioritized.

You may not plant in above-ground pots and planters. Due to temperature changes and soil disturbance, these bulbs only do well in the ground itself. The area should be sized at least three-square feet or more.

Free coaching available 

We are happy to provide a coach to help your group figure out how many bulbs to plant and to train you in planting them. Just let us know!

About the bulbs 

Bloom Rhode Island's Hope Springs gives away tiny, early-blooming bulbs to bring joy at the dreariest time of year.  

Our bulbs are supplied by ColorBlends of CT and: 

- Bloom in March/April, then disappear completely by May (so the space can be mown if desired) 

- Are very small and best as mass plantings (hundreds of tiny bulbs over a space)

- Are easy to plant by making a wide, shallow 2-3" deep hole, popping a bunch in and backfilling

- Do not require maintenance or watering

- Are not tasty to rodents

- May re-flower year after year as long as the bulbs are undisturbed underground

Ranging from crocuses to mini-daffodils, these grow just ankle-high and work best when planted en masse, by the hundreds, to create a carpet of bloom in a spot close to busy foot traffic, such as a sidewalk. (They are too small to be visible from vehicles.)  These are ephemerals - i.e.  they pop up, bloom and then die back, leaves and all, by May. So you can put them in lawns that will be mowed or areas that will be weed whacked later in the year. 

They are also good for naturalizing. That means if you don't disturb them in the soil after planting, and they like where you planted them, they will return March after March. Some will even spread to make bigger patches.  

History

Fall 2022: 350 bulbs planted by 1 group for March 2023 bloom

Fall 2023: 3,000 bulbs planted by 4 groups for March 2024 bloom

Fall 2024: 168,040 bulbs planted by 34 groups for March 2025 bloom

Fall 2025: 220,000 bulbs planted by 51 groups for March-April 2026 bloom