Bestside Blooms

Kristen Freeland: Gardener, Writer, Neighbor. Flowers sales via our nonprofit, Kind Hearts Bloom.

Thoughtful garden design, writing, and community work exploring how gardens shape connection and the places we call home.

10/02/2026

I’ve been thinking about the word “interruptable” lately.

How much of connection comes from simply leaving a little room in our lives for other people to interrupt them?

The friend who needs a ride. The neighbor who knocks on the door. The dinner invitation that arrives after you’ve already taken off your bra.

It can be inconvenient.

But maybe some of those inconveniences are actually evidence that we’re woven into each other’s lives.

Photo of molasses cookies my neighbor dropped off yesterday. They tasted like fall.

09/28/2026

Happy Good Neighbor Day!

I’ve been thinking about what it actually means to be a "good" neighbor.

It doesn't require grand gestures. Mostly it’s about noticing the folks around you and finding small ways to make life a little more livable.

Say hello. Check in. Learn someone’s name. Share what you have.

In my case, giving away flowers is pretty much my only party trick. But it works.

Because the flowers aren’t really the point.

The point is creating little opportunities for people to notice each other, say hello, and feel a little more connected to the place they live.

That’s what we’re celebrating today.

Happy Good Neighbor Day, neighbors.

09/09/2026

So much of our lives are curated.

What we watch. What we read. Who we follow.

We can surround ourselves with people who share our interests, our values, even our politics.

Except for our neighbors.

I think that’s part of what makes neighborhoods so valuable.

They give us a place to practice living alongside people we didn’t choose.

09/02/2026

Even after a few professional years under my garden belt, I still stop and think, “Wow! I grew that!”

Never stop appreciating your growth, neighbors!

08/25/2026

I love seeing my flower buddies every morning!

08/21/2026

These people didn't come because they wanted to make new friends.

They came to help plant a garden.

But when you spend three hours working beside someone- you start chatting.

You learn their name. You hear about their kids (or pets). You find out what they grow at home.

The garden doesn't make people connect. It just gives connection somewhere to start.

08/04/2026

As I was walked the last of the 115 garden tour participants through my garden gate, I apologized for the thousands of Rose of Sharon seedlings popping up everywhere.

"I'll get around to pulling those eventually," I said. "I'm only one person."

The woman beside me smiled.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she said. "I'm standing here thinking, if one person can do all of this, maybe I can tackle my garden too."

I'd been looking at everything that still needed doing.

She was looking at everything that had already grown.

I'm so thankful she kindly offered me that reframe.

07/29/2026

A little after we moved into our house, I covered part of the front lawn with cardboard and held it down with cinderblocks because I couldn't afford more mulch.

It looked like a hot mess.

I kept waiting for a letter from code enforcement 😬

Instead, neighbors stopped to ask what I was working towards.

Now people visit and say,

"I knew I was at the right house as soon as I saw the garden!"

Without realizing it, my yard has become part of my identity.

Before someone ever rings my doorbell or meets me face-to-face, part of my story has already been told.

I’m “the flower lady.”

I’m the house with the garden.

You’ll know the one.

07/24/2026

I was printing a few before/after pictures of my yard, when I discovered this gem.

The kids always catch my best angles.

Come tour my yard this Saturday, July 25, 9a-4p on the West Michigan Native Yard Tour. Proceeds benefit Kind Hearts Bloom and Kent Conservation District.

The tour features 11 residential gardens across the West Grand and Walker areas, and they're all different. Some are mostly native. Others blend native plants with vegetables, cut flowers, and traditional ornamentals. Some have been evolving for years. Others are much newer.

I think that's what makes the tour valuable. It shows you don't have to start from scratch or have a "perfect" native garden to create more habitat for birds, butterflies, and pollinators. You can simply start where you are.

The best part is that you'll get to meet the homeowners (like me!), ask questions, hear what worked (and what didn't), and leave with ideas you can actually use in your own yard.

If you've been thinking about replacing even a small patch of lawn, I think you'll find plenty of inspiration.

Link to register in the comments!

07/22/2026

Big moment this week - I got to spend six minutes talking about something I care deeply about: how gardens can bring people together.

Most of my interviews have been quick conversations from my garden, so being in a studio and having time to share the bigger story behind Kind Hearts Bloom felt really special.

Because this work has never just been about plants.

It’s about neighbors meeting each other.
It’s about creating spaces that invite curiosity.
It’s about the small moments of connection that make a place feel like home.

I’m grateful for every opportunity to share this story and for everyone who has helped make it possible.

I’ll share the interview in the comments if you’d like to watch.

Address

Grand Rapids, MI
49504

Website

http://bestsideblooms.com/, https://bestsideblooms.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

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