How Kindness Grew into a Business

From Reluctant Gardener to Flower Enthusiast

In 2021, I started my first vegetable garden. I had five raised beds that I meticulously planned—each square foot reserved for something edible. My client-turned-friend Jill Gaynor, a member of The Growing Kindness Project, brought over a couple of dahlia tubers and encouraged me to plant them.

To be honest, I didn’t really want them. I didn’t think I had the space, nor did I know how to grow them. But not wanting to be rude, I tucked them into a small patch near a fence, hoping they’d survive.

Weeks passed, and then months, and something magical happened—these plants grew and grew. Jill guided me through the process of staking, cutting back, and eventually digging up the tubers to divide them. What started as one tuber turned into ten!

That moment became my first lesson in kindness—how something small and freely given could multiply into so much more.

What Is The Growing Kindness Project?

The Growing Kindness Project is a nonprofit movement dedicated to encouraging people to grow and give flowers as a simple act of kindness. Whether you grow a few blooms in your backyard or an entire field, the goal is the same: to make the world a more beautiful and connected place—one bouquet at a time.

Jill was part of that mission, and her small gesture introduced me not just to dahlias, but to an entire community of generous growers who share the joy of giving through gardening.

Discovering the Magic of Dahlias

Dahlias are one of the most rewarding flowers to grow. They bloom from midsummer to frost, come in nearly every color imaginable, and thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. Their blooms range from tiny, delicate pompons to dinner-plate-sized showstoppers.

Even more special, each dahlia tuber multiplies underground. By the end of the growing season, one tuber can become many—making them the perfect symbol for growth, abundance, and kindness shared forward.

If you’re new to gardening, dahlias are a wonderful place to start. Their beauty is matched only by their resilience, and they make incredible cut flowers that last up to a week in a vase.

From Garden to Giving: Spreading Kindness Through Blooms

The next year, I followed Jill’s lead. I began gifting flowers to neighbors, friends, and even local doctors working long hours during the pandemic. Each bouquet carried a message of care and appreciation—no expectation, just gratitude.

That experience changed me. It showed me how giving, without wanting anything in return, can create ripples of happiness far beyond the garden gate.

The Birth of Greenwich Gardens

Fast forward to today, and those few gifted tubers have blossomed into hundreds of dahlias growing across my property—and the creation of Greenwich Gardens.

At Greenwich Gardens, I help others design beautiful, pollinator-friendly gardens and learn how to grow flowers that bring joy to both the grower and the recipient. My journey also led me to become a certified Master Gardener through UConn, and I’m currently studying to become an accredited Landscape Designer at The New York Botanical Garden.

What began as a reluctant experiment became a full-fledged passion and career rooted in kindness, education, and community.

Grow Kindness With Greenwich Gardens

Every dahlia tuber I plant reminds me of that first act of kindness. It’s a symbol of what happens when we share beauty with others—it multiplies.

If you’d like to grow your own dahlias, learn more about flower gardening, or join a community that values beauty and giving, contact me to explore our seasonal offerings, gardening guides, and flower subscriptions.

Together, we can keep growing kindness—one flower at a time.