Garden Party

A little creativity, some willing friends, and lots of plants!

Jul 25, 2025

Between keeping up with my part-time job, starting a rhythm of piano lessons, and maintaining the yard and thinking about all of the seedlings just hanging out in their little plugs waiting for transplanting, I was getting overwhelmed fast this spring. Trays were bursting with seedlings (a great problem!) by May and I was stretched thin for good weather, time, and motivation.

I know I work best when other people are around, somehow that feeling of connection acts as a motivator and lifts my heart. Ryan and I began thinking creatively. I also knew I couldn’t accomplish all the work on my own.

Enter some really cool friends.

First, I had to set a day and time that I could commit to being available for, each week, where we would have the least chance of getting baked by the sun and avoiding common rainy days. This is outdoor work, afterall! (But it might not always be, there’s potential to continue into the winter…) I settled on Thursday evenings, since I have piano students Mon-Wed and Fri, we have a friend’s hang and neighbor women’s hang Tuesday nights, and bike-riding group some Friday nights.

Who to invite? I knew a couple friends and garden enthusiasts who wanted to learn more about native plants, the process of transplanting, people who enjoy hanging out and getting dirty, artists. Anyone is welcome.

How will this work? Sometimes it doesn’t. People get busy and are on vacation, children have bedtime routines, I have work that can interfere with scheduling… But. Sometimes it DOES work. And it is a special, beautiful thing to have care for the natural world in community. A neighbor might come for an hour or two, friends might stay awhile with their kids laughing and playing around, the joy of finding roly-polys and coloring the sidewalks with chalk and bubbles filling the air.

In return, friends go home with plants, new techniques, feeling a little lighter and refreshed. I know I do.

And last night, even with the forecast of rain, friends gathered on the porch to enjoy the flowers and company, making beautiful art and sharing conversation, as I gathered seed to prepare for the next round of plants.

It’s not the big things like sales and quantity of living plants, the size of plants, the most efficiency, that determine the health of your endeavors. This week, I had one person stop by, after weeks of no inquiries, to pick out over 15 plants, delighted in the variety and work that we were creating here.

And that one sale, the support of the friendships and community here, are more than enough to continue to affirm that what I do, what WE do, matters. The little steps of getting together, sharing stories and dirty hands, cold drinks and fruit. It matters.

Thanks to Courtney, Allison, Tim, Otto, Zak, Vera, Zoya, Mary, Taylor, Stuart, Kelly, Bridget, Maryam, Bill, and countless others who have supported by purchasing plants and continuing to have interest in the world of native plants.

Promised resources:

Botanical Belonging - One eastern KS, well-established native plant nursery uses this concept as well, and Patti’s vision and operation is simply amazing. Go check them out if you can! Patti’s native plant nursery and non-profit, Botanical Belonging at Happy Apple’s Farm, is located in Tonganoxie, KS, just north of Lawrence. As a child, I went to a small church camp just outside of Tonganoxie (Camp Mt. Hermon, Church of the Brethren), and for me this feels very full-circle.
Give them a shout and follow - they host many events and education, including online and in-person experiences.