plant kindness
PATCHES
These special gardens not only provide habitat for our important pollinator friends, but they also inspire us to celebrate the kindness that is all around us
All of us have witnessed, received, and shared the astonishing magic of kindness. From a warm smile, sharing monetary gifts, to spending time with those in need, no act of kindness is too small. And caring for our pollinators is, indeed, an enormously wonderful act of kindness. Please read more about these special patches, and see how you can join our kindness movement.
Why Plant Kindness?
The metaphor “plant kindness” is a potent message. We know from our experiences at Plantables that seeds are incredibly powerful. One seed can produce an amazing plant that can make a beautiful flower that can benefit many pollinators. And, like a flower seed, a single seed of kindness can spread special roots that can grow a plant of goodwill, affection, care, concern, and love for each other.
What is a Kindness Patch?
It is a combination of two wonderful things!
First, it is a physical space that provides the essential habitat for our pollinators. Our pollinator experts say that there is not a kinder action for our bee, butterfly, and all our pollinator friends than to plant a garden space that has specific plants that they can live and feed on. And it has never been more important for all of us to plant as many garden patches as we can. Our pollinators (who play a critical role in our ecosystem) have had a steep decline in their population for over a decade. We need to plant as many flowering plants as we can!!
Second, the steward of the garden patch will report on our Plantables Plant Kindness blog any acts of kindness that they witness whenever they may see them. We are hoping to have dozens of entries journaling the goodness that surrounds us each and every day, so that the powerful seeds of kindness will be recognized, recorded, and celebrated. Our Plant Kindness blog is a forum to show us all of the many good deeds that are happening amongst us, be it people being kind to our children, the elderly, the disadvantaged, the environment, the sick, our companion animals, to each other.
How can I join the Plant Kindness movement?
1. Create a pollinator friendly garden space. Every patch can make a big difference! No patch is too small. The only criterion is that all patches must include pollinator friendly plants and be free of chemicals. See our tips to create a Plant Kindness Patch below.
2. Register your patch. Sign up on the registration page and purchase a Plant Kindness sign with a unique registration number.
3. Report kindness. You will also have the wonderful opportunity to report any act of kindness that you may witness to our Plantables Plant Kindness Blog. And, like our Plant Kindness garden patches, no act of kindness is too small to be reported. All good deeds – to loved ones, to strangers, to ourselves can be shared. Be it a friendly compliment, a warm smile, picking up litter, holding the door for others… let’s spread the seeds of kindness that surround us so that more kindness will grow!!
Get Your Personalized Plant Kindness Patch Sign
Be a supporter of our pollinators and kindness movement...
by obtaining your very own PLANT KINDNESS PATCH sign that you can place
in your pollinator friendly garden. These beautiful all-weather metal signs will not only display your deep fondness of our amazing pollinators but it will also demonstrate your love of the good deeds that surround us.
Each PLANT KINDNESS PATCH sign is personalized
with its very own distinctive number that will be your
special identity when you report kindness to our
Plantables Plant Kindness Blog. (your unique number!)
And lastly by having a PLANT KINDNESS PATCH sign in your garden, you will show your neighbors and passersby that kindness to our pollinators and to each other is important to you - that your garden is a welcoming and kind space for all to appreciate and enjoy. We can't wait for YOU to be a sower of the amazing seeds of kindness! Please signup for your sign today!
Join the Plant Kindness Movement - Fill out our ONLINE REGISTRATION Today!!
6" W x 12" H
our metal signs are
7 Tips to Consider When Planning Your Plant Kindness Patch
1. Always Make Your Garden a Pesticide-Free Zone
Sure, pesticides and herbicides kill nuisances in your garden (irritating weeds and insects) but they also kill our pollinators too. So say NO to chemicals! And when purchasing your plants, ask if they are neonicotinoid-free. Neonicotinoids are an extremely harmful class of pesticides that have been linked to the deaths of our phenomenal bees.
2. Plant as Many Pollinator Loving Native Plants as You Can Fit
According to a study from The Center for Pollinator Research our pollinator friends are four times more likely to visit your patch when planting native species than when planting non-native species. For a list of some pollinator loving native species in your area, CLICK HERE
3. Include a Variety of Plants with Staggered Bloom Times (Spring to Fall)
Our pollinator friends emerge at various times (early spring - mid summer), thus we need to ensure that there is a nectar and pollen source for them to feed on for the duration of their lives.
4. Grow Host Plants for our Butterfly and Moth Friends
Host plants are plants that butterflies and moths lay their eggs on. When a caterpillar emerges from the egg the caterpillar then eats the host plants leaves. The most famous example of a host plant and animal relationship is the Monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant. For a list of more host plant-animal relationships, CLICK HERE
5. Furnish a Small Dead Limb (or Two) of a Tree in Your Patch
Dead limbs of trees provide a valuable nesting site for many of our native bees offspring. Some bees will burrow new holes while others will use holes or cavities that already exist in the decaying wood.
6. Fill a Shallow Pottery Dish with Water
Our pollinator friends get thirsty too! So fill a shallow pottery dish with gravel/stones and top it off with water. The gravel is for the pollinators to safely perch on while they're drinking.
7. Don't Forget About Maintenance
While planning your garden patch, you should take into consideration how much care and maintenance you'll have time for. All patches will require watering and weeding and some will also require mulching, amending the soil, pruning, and removing overgrown or unwanted plants. Despite all the effort, your patch will reward you with countless hour of beauty, benefit, and enjoyment!!
