Neighbors Plant Over 1,000 Flower Bulbs In East Flatbush

EAST FLATBUSH – Junior troops of the Saint Vincent Ferrer Girl Scouts helped members of the Tilder Block Association plant over 1,000 flowering bulbs along East 31st and East 32nd Streets this Saturday. Come next year, daffodils, iris, crocus, hyacinths, tulips, and gladiolus will delight residents and passers by.

“Planting bulbs is a great way to add perennial color to the neighborhood’s tree beds,” said Michelle Hines, 48, secretary and head of the association’s garden committee.

Tilder Block Association was founded over 20 years ago by Hyacinth Johnson, 82 a longtime resident of East 32nd Street.

“I’m lover of flowers and when I first moved on my block there were no signs of flowers,” she explained. “I started going around to get people interested in helping me plant flowers.”

Last fall, the more than 25 new tree beds were installed along East 31st, East 32nd and parts of the Tilden and Snyder blocks, and earlier this summer, neighbors planted about 200 native plants in these tree beds.

This was the first time that the association moved onto other blocks in their beautification efforts.

New Yorkers for Parks provided the block association with over 700 daffodil bulbs and Citizens Committee for New York City awarded a $3,000 grant to fund the event.

“Residents on other blocks reached out to the block association president Marjorie Faison and I, asking for help with tree bed planting after seeing the work we do,” said Hines.

Tilder Block Association won 2nd place in the Greenest Block in Brooklyn Contest in 2015 and, on Wednesday, the association will collect the National Grid Leadership in Sustainable Practices Award from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in a ceremony at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

All photos Oumou Fofana / BKLYNER.