Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy News

Contact: Laura Cook
412-682-7275, ext 220
lcook@pittsburghparks.org

Fall Planting continues the Pittsburgh Daffodil Project

(Pittsburgh – October 20, 2008) – 7,500 new daffodils will be planted along Bartlett Street in Schenley Park as a result of a partnership between the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Penn State University Cooperative Extension, the City of Pittsburgh, and volunteers from Giant Eagle. The groups plan to expand the daffodil planting this October throughout the city, particularly in all four regional parks—Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley—and in areas involved in the City’s Green-Up program, over the next several years in an effort termed “The Pittsburgh Daffodil Project.”

“The Pittsburgh Daffodil Project is a long term project with a goal to plant millions of bulbs, which will have a significant aesthetic impact when they bloom in the spring,” says Phil Gruszka, Director of Parks Management and Maintenance at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

The Bartlett Street site was chosen as the pilot location for the daffodil-planting program because it is a highly visible section of parkland that also presents a large maintenance challenge. With a lengthy stretch of trees, turf, sidewalk, and fence posts all within a few feet of each other, the area is difficult to mow. To reduce the time and cost of maintaining the site, crews had converted part of the turf around the sidewalk to bare soil, which provided an ideal location for the daffodils.

Once they are installed and mulched, the daffodils will provide a host of benefits. “The daffodils will reduce maintenance costs within the park, increase the park’s overall biodiversity, and contribute to the health of the nearby trees through the mulch that covers them. All of these factors are in addition to being aesthetically pleasing for park users,” says Gruszka.

Funds and volunteers are needed to contribute to the continuation of the Pittsburgh Daffodil Project; to find out how you can help, contact the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy www.pittsburghparks.org or at 412-682-7275. This is an excellent way for local companies to help beautify the Pittsburgh landscape through the donation of both volunteer time to plant the daffodils and the funds to purchase the plants.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, is working to improve quality of life for the people of by permanently restoring the park system to excellence in partnership with the City. Restoration efforts are conducted with environmental sensitivity and respect for the parks' historic landscape design and the recreational needs of modern users. For more information, please visit www.pittsburghparks.org.

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DIRECTIONS TO BARTLETT PLAYGROUND FROM DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH:

- Take I-376 E toward Monroeville; get off at Exit 2A and merge onto Forbes Ave.

- Turn right at Craft Ave.

- Turn left at Boulevard of the Allies.

- Stay on Boulevard of the Allies as it becomes Panther Hollow Road.

- The Bartlett Playground is located at the intersection of Panther Hollow Road and Bartlett St.

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