Annual Bulb Giveaway
Hope Springs: Fall-Planted Bulbs for March Bloom
Bloom Rhode Island's Hope Springs program gives local groups and nonprofits free bulbs to plant in publicly visible places in Northern Rhode Island cities that will flower the following March and April.
The 2025 bulb request form is now available until September 1st. Bulbs are available on a "first come-first served" basis to do not delay!
https://bit.ly/hopesprings2025
Qualifying groups and organizations include gardening clubs and not-for-profits with the ability and authorization to plant in spaces next to busy public walkways in dense, urban neighborhoods in Providence, Central Falls, Pawtucket, East Providence, and Woonsocket.
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: 200,000 bulbs available for planting!
Description:
These are 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.
Hope Springs bulbs For Fall 2025
Crocreation (Crocus)
4-6” tall plants with purple and orange flowers in early March. Plant in full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. For earliest bloom, put crocuses in a sunny, protected location — against the south-facing foundation of a house, for example. Can be planted in a lawn if you’re willing to hold off on mowing until the foliage has yellowed.
Quantity: 7 to 8 bulbs per square foot
Planting notes: Dig in 3” deep, 3" apart. Plant in October or November
Lifetime: Leaves disappear by early May. Will return following year.
Blue Glory of the Snow (Crocus)
5-6” tall plants with blue flowers in late March. Plant in full sun or partial shade, in well-drained soil that is not too dry. If left undisturbed, the bulbs may seed themselves about, eventually forming a thick lavender-blue carpet in spring.
Quantity: 22 per square foot
Planting notes: Dig in 2” deep. Can plant in fall until ground is frozen in December.
Lifetime: Leaves disappear by mid-May. Will return annually and spread.
Jetfire (Mini-Daffodil)
10-12", small daffodils. Plant them where they will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight, even after they have finished flowering and the trees have leafed out. Daffodils need lots of sun after they bloom to produce next year’s flowers. Plant them in soil that drains well. Avoid areas where water stands after a rain storm.
Quantity: 6-7 per square foot
Planting notes: Dig in 6” deep, 3" apart.
Lifetime: Leaves disappear by late April. May return each year.
All-Aflutter (Mini-Iris)
4-6” tall plants with blue, white, and purple flowers blooming in sequence in March. Plant in well-drained soil and full sun, and it likes to be dry in summer. The bulbs perform best if planted with points up.
Quantity: 9-10 per square foot
Planting notes: Dig in 3” deep, bulbs upright and 3" apart.
Lifetime: Leaves disappear by early May. May return each year.