Daffodillion Project Wants to Buy Automatic Bulb Planter for City

The effort to plant more than a million daffodil bulbs across Newport is going strong with more than 384,000 bulbs planted over nine years.

But the Daffodillion Project, which is spearheading the effort, has realized that in a good year, the most that can be planted each year is about 100,000. And that includes a combined effort from the city’s parks department, volunteers and others.

The next step in meeting the million-plus goal is to bring in some mechanical help.

For $11,000, the group would like to buy an automatic bulb planting machine.

“This machine has a capacity to plant thousands of bulbs a day,” said John Hirschboeck, director of the project.

The group is willing to pay for the machine and donate to the city, but will need some support from the city to pick the machine up from New York, store it and keep it in operation each fall in areas that are slated for planting.

The machine could also be loaned to the state Department of Transportation and other state agencies on an as-needed basis.

“May we have your permission to proceed with this gift?” Hirschboeck asked in a letter to the Newport City Council.

According to a spec sheet, the machine is fitted behind a tractor and bulbs are planted from a hopper filled with bulbs.

The machine can plant one row at a time and is usually towed by a tractor with a 30 horsepower motor and a three-point connection.

The City Council is set to review the offer at its July 8 meeting.