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Serving Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, Bellevue and Carey
March 24, 2023
Sawtooth Botanical Gardens Executive Director Jen Smith, left, and Operations Director K.O. Ogilvie are surrounded by some of the daffodils planted on the Garden's property in preparation for the upcoming festival.
Sawtooth Botanical Gardens Executive Director Jen Smith, left, and Operations Director K.O. Ogilvie are surrounded by some of the daffodils planted on the Garden's property in preparation for the upcoming festival.
In the fall of 2021, the Senior Connection and Sawtooth Botanical Garden planted 30,000 daffodil bulbs at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden south of Ketchum at the corner of Gimlet Road and Highway 75.
These nonprofit organizations also formed a team that planted 4,500 mixed color daffodils as a location for a COVID Memorial Garden, intended to honor those who have been affected by the pandemic.
This week, the beautiful flowers are in bloom, just in time for the Wood River Valley Daffodil Festival on Saturday at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. This free community event will feature games, food trucks and live music by Caritas Chorale, the Wood River Orchestra, Ukesters and Rick Hoel.
The Daffodil COVID Memorial Garden service will take place at 11:45 a.m.
This spring and summer, the Senior Connection and Sawtooth Botanical Garden will be raising funds by offering sponsorship opportunities for a “Phase 2” planting of daffodil bulbs for their fall planting. Next spring, there will be viewing parties and another celebratory event designed around these perennial plants.
{p class=”Bodycopy”}A team from The Senior Connection and Sawtooth Botanical Garden planted a daffodil garden last fall.{/p} {p class=”Bodycopy”}{/p}
“This project will last for decades,” said Marty Lyon, Daffodil Festival Committee Chair. “We intend to help it grow each year to become an event that will boost our local economy.”
Proceeds from the Daffodil Festival will be equally shared between these two community nonprofit organizations. The Senior Connection provides quality of life for elders in the community, many of whom will be on hand Saturday to explore the unique beauty and biodiversity of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden.
The Sawtooth Botanical Garden was founded in 1994 by a small local group of passionate gardeners and environmentalists. With support of the Global Environmental Project Institute, this group was able to secure a long-term lease for a five-acre site, build a community building with a solar greenhouse, and begin their dream of establishing an expansive landscape showcasing native and cultivated plants that flourish at high altitude. The Garden connects people to the region’s unique beauty and fosters environmental stewardship through education, events, displays and plant collections.
The Senior Connection, located on Fourth Avenue in Hailey, operates with a mission to connect seniors with essential services, meaningful programming, their peers and the local community. 
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