Planting for The People: 2025 Commonwealth Honors College Daffodil Planting

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Dean Mari Castañeda lends a hand planting daffodil bulbs alongside community members. Photo: Theo Nims

On a sunny Family Weekend Saturday, Commonwealth Honors College community members and families gathered to take part in the annual Daffodil Planting event.

The Daffodil Planting event started over a decade ago to honor the late Dean Priscilla Clarkson. Clarkson became Dean of the Honors College in 2006, and was a key advocate for the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community (CHCRC). In 2013, after a hard-fought battle with breast cancer, she passed away while Dean, leaving a lasting legacy on the Honors College.

In order to commemorate her life and service to the Commonwealth Honors College, CHC students plant daffodils—her favorite flower—every fall. The daffodils bloom in the spring around the same time of the sustainability-focused Daffodil Lecture, another one of Clarkson’s passions.

Gathering the Community

The event started with Ann Marie Russell, Associate Dean of Recruitment and Belonging for Commonwealth Honors College, welcoming everyone and taking a moment to recognize the impact of Dean Clarkson and the significance of the event. 

She remarked, “It’s about beautifying our space but also about strengthening our sense of connection to our land,” motioning towards the sunlit pathways and plots of grass scattered throughout CHCRC.

Then, Honors College Dean Mari Casteñada prompted everyone there to introduce themselves to the group. Jen Konieczny and Rachel Begley of the landscaping department at UMass, armed and ready to guide everyone with shovels, gloves, and buckets of many kinds of bulbs, gave a warm welcome as well.

Photo: Nina Prenosil

Planting with Purpose

While the Daffodil Planting event started off as strictly daffodils, Konieczny noted that last year, a student emailed and asked her why they weren’t planting native bulbs. Eager to take that feedback into consideration, this year, she also brought native bulbs to plant. The variety of plants included daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses, and many more.

With gloves on and shovels in hand, participants got to work planting daffodil bulbs. Photo: Theo Nims

Everyone quickly got to work and got their hands dirty, digging holes three times the height of each bulb per Konieczny’s instructions. People spread out among the plots in CHCRC, working around the long grasses crowding each plot, warm voices filtering through the crisp fall air.

Family Connections in Full Bloom

First-year Honors College student Maahi, along with her parents and sister, were among the planters digging eagerly into the ground. “We planted a lot,” Maahi’s father remarked, admiring their hard work. Maahi’s father pointed out each of the dark holes that the family had unearthed, pushed bulbs into, and gently covered up with dirt. Their family loves gardening, so it seemed like the perfect thing to do together on Family Weekend. 

Maahi’s mother added, “When you walk in the spring, you will always see (the flowers we planted together).”

Maahi’s parents look forward to seeing their flowers bloom in the spring. Photo: Theo Nims

For Honors College first-year Ari and mother Cindy, it was an opportunity to reconnect in a place that was meaningful to both of them. Cindy, an alum of UMass, was enjoying being back for Family Weekend. “It feels like I just walked into Amherst five years ago,” Cindy said. But at the same time, so much has changed. “None of this (the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community) was here.” The Daffodil Planting event was a chance for them both to make an impact on the community Ari will be a part of for the next four years.

Families and friends came together to help beautify the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Area.

Growing Together

Begley, busy helping to coordinate the planting, took a moment to reflect on what this event meant to her, and it all came back to the community. “It involves the community here planting, and it benefits the community.” 

Konieczny, who has been a part of the Daffodil Planting event since its inception, added, “It’s for everybody.” 

Jen Konieczny shows participants how to plant a daffodil bulb. Photo: Nina Prenosil

Snowdrops are one of my favorite flowers, so I made sure to grab a trowel and plant some in between talking to people. I remembered being a first-year living in Oak Hall last year and finding joy when the snowdrops and other early flowers bloomed. I felt a sense of pride that I could contribute to that for other community members.

A Springtime Reminder

When the daffodils and other flowers start to peek up in the spring, everyone who got their hands dirty this October will be able to reflect on their time spent planting, and all Honors College Community members passing through will be brought some spring cheer. 

Each bulb planted will represent a member of the community showing up for their people, just as Dean Clarkson would have wanted.

Dean Mari Castañeda and Associate Dean Ann Marie Russell share a smile while planting daffodil bulbs together. Photo: Nina Prenosil