When Marisa Mender-Franklin walks through any of the nine flower farms she runs in Memphis, Tennessee, her first thoughts are of gratitude. Partly for the flowers and the bees, but mostly for the support of her neighbors.
That’s because members of her local Facebook Buy Nothing group shared their unused yards and gardens with her, allowing her to achieve her dream of owning a flower shop and working as an .
鈥淣one of this would be possible without an immensely supportive community,鈥� she said.
Her post read, 鈥楩lowers in need of a garden鈥�
In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mender-Franklin was a teacher planning her wedding.
“I thought it would be fun to grow and design my own wedding flowers,鈥� she said. So, the lifelong gardener planted 鈥渆very square inch鈥� of the tiny yard in front of her rental home with seeds and added pots along the walkway and on the porch.
The experience fortified her lifelong dream of working with flowers, she said, 鈥渂ut I didn鈥檛 own land or have a path to owning land.鈥�
As a member of the Buy Nothing group, she had noticed members offering unwanted furniture, household goods and other items .
鈥淪omebody once posted looking for a French horn for their kid, and within six hours, they had one,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f the group can do that,鈥� she reasoned, 鈥渢hen certainly there鈥檚 someone who has a garden they can鈥檛 use and would let me grow flowers there.鈥�
In her post, she expressed her desire to grow and sell flowers, and promised to be a good tenant and provide the owner with weekly bouquets. 鈥淲ithin 5 minutes, my phone started pinging like crazy,鈥� she said. Within a week, she had received 40 offers of free places to grow flowers.
That first year, 2021, Mender-Franklin selected four plots. Members of the online group began and vases on her porch.
“People even volunteered to help weed or plant,鈥� she said.
Today, she runs her flower business full-time. She owns the Midtown Bramble and Bloom flower shop, oversees the nine farm plots of various sizes and employs 10 people. Last year, the business held 57 workshops, and provided flower arrangements for 44 weddings and large events.
The inspiration was a Canadian flower gardener
Mender-Franklin said she knows of similar land-share situations in other cities. She was inspired by the example of Sarah Nixon, who, from 2001 to 2021, planted flowers in neighbors鈥� yards in Toronto and sold weekly flower-bucket and arrangement subscriptions. Nixon also sold flowers at farmers鈥� markets and a specialty grocery store, and provided flowers for weddings.
She started her business, My Luscious Backyard, the analog way, by leaving letters of introduction in neighbor鈥檚 mailboxes that proposed the barter of land use in exchange for upkeep of their gardens.
鈥淚 was obsessed with growing flowers for my own enjoyment, and my own backyard was full,鈥� said Nixon. 鈥淏ut I noticed some of my neighbors begrudgingly mowing their lawns and not seeming to use their properties.鈥�
The arrangements can be mutually beneficial
In Memphis, Mender-Franklin鈥檚 team transformed the into beds and rows of flowers. Along with the bouquets and other perks, the homeowners are able to enjoy flower gardens without the responsibility of maintaining them.
The agreements are formalized with leases that spell out everything from boundaries to water costs.
Karen Golightly, who owns one of Mender-Franklin鈥檚 original plots, said she didn’t hesitate when she saw the post on the Buy Nothing group. The weekly bouquets she receives are lovely, she said, 鈥渂ut the biggest benefit is that it created a community for me.”
鈥淲e have a garden walk in the neighborhood, and I鈥檝e come to know other neighbors and gardeners that I wouldn鈥檛 otherwise know. And, of course, there鈥檚 Marisa鈥檚 staff and Marisa, as well,鈥� Golightly said.
One of the first plots that Mender-Franklin worked on came with no water source, she said. She offered to pay the homeowner next door to run a water line over from his faucet, and he, a gardener, set it up for her.
鈥淧eople like to help make dreams come true. It鈥檚 that feeling of connection that we all really need,” she said. 鈥淪o often when we talk about community, we view it in terms of helping other people. And we forget that being part of an equal community means that you also have to ask for help.鈥�
To give back, Mender-Franklin launched the Flowers for Good program, which donates flowers to local organizations, schools and charities. Her shop has a free seed library for vegetables and native wildflowers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a gift to the community to have their land turned into a farm,” said Nixon. “And all the pollinators, birds and wildlife change the area.”
鈥淚t鈥檚 also a lot of work,鈥� she added.
Mender-Franklin knows that to be true. 鈥淲e run on community,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ell, community and LaCroix and an unhinged belief in our ability to figure it out.鈥�
How you can start a land-sharing network
If your flowers or vegetables are in search of a garden, these online resources can help:
Regional and local gardening groups and buy-nothing groups on social media can link neighbors willing to share tools, harvests or garden beds.
Matchmaking services such as and connect those seeking land on which to farm or garden with landowners seeking to share property.
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Kristin M. Hall contributed to this story from Memphis, Tennessee.
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Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for The Associated Press. She publishes the Weekly Dirt Newsletter. for weekly gardening tips and advice.
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