1,000 Yellow Tulips to Be Planted in Memory of Louisa Wiener

This fall, the Love Labette Foundation, in association with SWAN, the Parsons Area Chamber of Commerce and Operation Bright Touch, purchased 1,000 yellow tulip bulbs in memory of Louisa Wiener, with the tulips serving as a nod to her birth country, the Netherlands.

The bulbs will be planted throughout the Parsons area, including by eighth-grade students at each of the USD 503 schools as part of their community service efforts. Tulips will also be added to Operation Bright Touch beds and other meaningful locations around the community. When they bloom next spring, the yellow tulips will provide a beautiful reminder of Louisa while adding a little more color and pride throughout Parsons.

The eighth-grade students will be planting on Friday, October 23, and the project could use some community help. Organizers are looking for donations of bulb planters and bags of mulch for the students to use that day. Volunteers are also needed to help plant bulbs at the additional locations around town.

Anyone who would like to donate supplies or volunteer to help with planting can contact the Parsons Area Chamber of Commerce during regular business hours at 620-421-6500 or by email at chamber@parsonschamber.org.

The hope is that these 1,000 bulbs are just the beginning, creating a beautiful spring display while remembering someone who left a lasting mark on the Parsons community.

Tips for Planting Tulips

Tulips should be planted in the ground in a well-drained location, rather than in raised planter boxes or other areas where the bulbs may be more exposed to winter temperature changes. Plant bulbs about 6 inches deep, with the pointed end facing up, and space them approximately 4 to 6 inches apart. After planting, water the area and add a layer of mulch over the soil to help protect the bulbs through the winter. In the spring, the mulch can be pulled back as the tulips begin to emerge.

About the Love Labette Foundation

The Love Labette Foundation is being developed as a countywide nonprofit focused on turning good ideas into projects that make Labette County an even better place to live, work and call home. This project is a great example of how its three pillars can work together. It supports Arts, Culture & Belonging by honoring Louisa Wiener and her Dutch heritage through a beautiful communitywide display; Education & Workforce by giving eighth-grade students a hands-on opportunity to serve their community and learn that they have a role in shaping the place they live; and Community Pride & Quality of Life by bringing students, organizations and volunteers together to beautify Parsons and take pride in our shared spaces. The tulips may be a simple project, but they represent exactly what Love Labette is intended to do: bring people together, build connections and turn community pride into action. Planting tulips is a pretty simple project, but next spring those 1,000 yellow tulips will be a reminder of what can happen when people work together to make our community a little better.