The History of Daffodil Hill in Binney Park, Old Greenwich
Hillside Annex 2009-2025
Each spring, the northwest corner of Binney Park’s Hillside Annex, also known as Daffodil Hill, comes alive with the glorious blooms of thousands of daffodils.
The origin of this vibrant spectacle dates back to 2009, when longtime Binney Park volunteer Peter Uhry was inspired by a cheerful crocus display on a hillside along East Putnam Avenue in central Greenwich. Mr. Uhry realized that the park's Hillside Annex, with its large, northwest-facing slope highly visible to traffic on Sound Beach Avenue, was the perfect location for a similar installation using larger, brightly colored flowering plants.
To put his idea into action, Mr. Uhry sent an exploratory email to several garden enthusiasts in April 2009. By that summer, he had secured permission from Bruce Spaman, the Superintendent of Parks & Trees, and gained support from Martha Lyons, a landscape architect working on a historical report of the park. The project quickly garnered enthusiasm from local garden clubs, the Old Greenwich Association, and Greenwich Green & Clean.
Planting the first 800 bulbs
In the early fall of 2009, volunteers from these organizations gathered under the supervision of Parks Department staff to clear a significant amount of invasive shrubs and small trees from the hillside to give the bulbs a better chance of success. That October, the first 800 daffodil bulbs—a mix of sturdy, naturalizing varieties—were planted. This initial effort was greatly aided by the expertise of Mary Hull, Executive Director of Greenwich Green & Clean, who had led annual bulb beautification projects in Greenwich for years.
Over the next dozen years, the project expanded significantly, with new plantings stretching south along Arch Street. The total number of bulbs eventually exceeded 12,000, though the primary focus remained the main hillside overlooking Sound Beach Avenue and the Perrot Library. As the project grew, the Greenwich Parks Department became the major contributor of bulbs, with continued support from Greenwich Green & Clean and other groups.
After a temporary suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic, planting resumed in 2022. Additional bulbs were added near the rock outcrops in 2023. The effort was then paused in 2024 to observe the naturalized growth in the spring of 2025.
Hillside Annex Trail
Today, visitors can enjoy more than a dozen varieties of daffodils, which bloom sequentially from February through April. For those wanting a closer look, a loop trail offers a different vantage point of the flowers. This rustic dirt path was completed around 2017-2018 by volunteers Peter Uhry and Tad Larrabee. Due to its rough nature, visitors are advised to use hiking poles.
Future plans for the Hillside Annex aim to renew some of its historic woodland flora. The Binney family, after purchasing the land in the 1930s, planted rhododendrons and other woodland species, though only a few of these original plants survive today.
