the Little Free Florist - St Paul, MN

This cabinet is partly an extension of my garden education/activism that focuses on bringing city residents closer to nature. It’s also a way to express appreciation and gratitude for my neighbors. The Little Free Florist cabinet is also used to share seeds, nature art kits and seedlings for neighbors.

Gardening of all types is my preferred way to spend my free time, and as other gardeners probably have experienced, gardens are giving. A couple of years ago a family friend built this cabinet for me and I dedicated some of my growing space as a cutting garden. This happened to be a well timed endeavor as the pandemic limited our community interactions and neighbors everywhere struggled.

The flowers that go into this cabinet are meant to be a pick-me-up for passers-by, and often includes unique plant material. Sometimes the bouquets have herbs, native plants, veggies, or even fruiting branches. To encourage exploration further, I use the @little.free.florist Instagram account to identify plants and share tidbits that might entice someone to try something new like a growing technique, herb or plant.

As much as the #littlefreeflorist is about giving, there is indeed joy for me too as I get to express some creativity while knowing that the flowers will bring a smile to another.

Little Free Florist

in the press

• Garden Club of America Bulletin by Lynn Steiner Winter 2022 “Hort+Culture: Saving Vegetable Seeds”

• “Love Letters for the Midway” Public art project by Hawona Sullivan Janzen 2022

• MnDNR Minnesota Conservation Volunteer by Frank Bures Sept-October 2021 “A Growing Movement- Seed Saving is part of our History and our Future”

• The Atlantic by Allie Volpe August 30, 2021 “How Shrek Is Connecting People During the Pandemic”

• The Star Tribune by Richard Chin September 4, 2019 "St. Paul woman offers fresh bouquets from Little Free Florist stand"