Detroit aims to plant 1 million daffodils across the city by fall 2020.

Over the past few years, 265,000 bulbs were planted along medians and the spring perennials began blooming this past week.

The effort is part of an ambitious beautification project, and another 209,500 bulbs will be planted this year, according to Brad Dick, general services department director.

"City crews have done a lot of the basic things to remove the unattractive things Detroiters have had to deal with for years, like graffiti, illegal dumping and blighted buildings," Dick said.

"Now we are transitioning to programs that actually beautifies our city, whether it's improving our parks, planting 10,000 new trees or something as simple as planting flowers. It all adds up to a more beautiful and attractive city for everyone."

The program began in fall 2014, when staff planted about 16,000 bulbs at Palmer Park. The following year, another 34,000 bulbs were planted in Rouge Park, Belle Isle, Balduck, Boyer and Pingree parks, according to a news release from the mayor's office.

In 2016, 21 parks and medians were included in the plan to "paint spring throughout the City."

In October 2017, a team of nine planted more than 209,000 bulbs after receiving a donations of 50,000 Dutch Master' Daffodils from the Michigan Division of the Woman's National Farm & Garden Association.

"Residents have really responded well to the daffodils program and we love doing it," said Dick. "So we just decided to keep going until we planted one million, and we may not stop there."

"Aside from (daffodils) being beautiful, the squirrels leave them alone. If we planted one million tulips, they'd be gone and we'd have a lot of well-fed squirrels."

Locations and count of where daffodils will be planted this fall

:

Jefferson medians (at Altar going west): 2,500

Erma Henderson Park: 1,200

*Belle Isle - Jefferson grass medians: 50,000

Lincolnshire Park: 17,100

Lafayette medians: 14,000

Riverside (E. Grand Blvd medians): 13,700

Rosa Parks medians: 12,700

Higgins Park: 9,450

Oakman (medians at Davison): 8,800

Mansfield-Diversey Park: 8,050

Viola-Liuzzo Park: 7,100

Jefferson/Belle Isle Entrance (flower beds): 7,000

Simmons Park: 6,300

Syracuse Park: 6,000

LaSalle Park: 5,700

Gordon Park: 4,600

Lafayette Park/Jefferson: 4,250

Szafraniec Park: 4,000

Gorham Park: 3,850

Hackett Park: 3,600

Doan Park: 3,300

Wells Park: 2,800

Field Park: 2,400

Luce - St. Louis: 1,800

Chandler: 1,600

Yakisch Park: 1,300

Sak Park: 1,200

Boyer Park: 1,200

Latham Park: 1,050

Mack and Warren: 800

Scripps Park: 800

Hansen Park: 600

Cross Park: 500

Davison: 400