In early 2021, Marisa posted what she thought was a crazy idea in a Memphis Buy Nothing Facebook group: Could she use neighbors’ backyards and empty lots to grow flowers in exchange for bouquets and pollinator gardens?
The response blew her away — over 40 people immediately said yes.
That one humble post sparked a five-year journey of regenerative micro-farms scattered across Midtown, community workshops, and neighborly magic.
Today, Midtown Bramble & Bloom is a thriving brick-and-mortar florist on Young Avenue, selling locally grown flowers while making Memphis more beautiful, one backyard at a time. 🍃🌸
In 2020, a small city in Wisconsin told its residents they could stop mowing for a month. 435 households joined in. The bees came back the same spring.
Appleton was the first US city to adopt No Mow May. The city council suspended its weed ordinance for the month so residents wouldn't get cited for tall grass. Around 40 acres of lawn across the city went uncut.
Researchers from Lawrence University sampled the unmowed lawns and nearby mowed city parks in the same week. The unmowed lawns had 5 times as many bees and 3 times as many bee species as the mowed parks.
Wisconsin is home to nearly 500 native bee species. Most people have never seen them because they don't live in honeybee hives. They're solitary bees, ground nesters, small black or metallic green insects that fit on a fingernail.
Appleton's unmowed yards gave them food and shelter in the hungry early-spring window when almost nothing else is blooming.
The experiment cost the city nothing. It saved residents fuel and labor. It produced measurable ecological results within 30 days.
Dozens of US cities have adopted the practice since. Has yours?
What I want to tackle in the new year. From freelancing to fruit trees here is my 2025 game plan. Wishing you all the good vibes to crush your own goals and tackle your lists for the new year.
https://t.co/bSUSR5vGjW
So am I reading this, right? @Adobe@Photoshop
I can't use Photoshop unless I'm okay with you having full access to anything I create with it, INCLUDING NDA work?
#BotanicMonday: This is a beautifully pressed sample of our #ColoradoNativePlant, Simpson’s cactus, Pediocactus simpsonii, by the University of Colorado #Herbarium. Images by Gregory Gust. The herbarium sheet and images were found on #SEINet.