Flower Girls Meet

How to Grow Plants & Friendships

In celebration of 10 years, we’ve been revisiting some of our most beloved gatherings, and our 2020 event with Jasmine, the founder of Black Girls With Gardens, remains a community favorite.

This session was a beautiful blend of plant care and personal growth. We talked about everything from choosing the right soil to tending to the foundations of friendship. Jasmine, a therapist and plant lover, offered heartfelt guidance on how we can cultivate not only thriving greenery, but also lasting, meaningful relationships. Whether you’re just getting started with your plant journey or seeking ways to strengthen your friendships, I hope the insights below feel nourishing. Here’s what we learned together:

Meet Jasmine
Jasmine is a therapist by day and gardener by night. After the loss of her last grandparent, she found peace in tending to her garden. That love and healing bloomed into Black Girls With Gardens, a community that continues to grow.

Top Plant Tips
1. Avoid impulse plant shopping! First, research what will thrive in your space.
2. Over loving can hurt: too much water or re-potting too soon are common mistakes.
3. Assess your light, temperature, and humidity before buying.
4. Tropical plants like warm rooms. Think elephant ears, philodendron, hoya, monstera.
5. For outdoor growing, consider your soil and watering plan.
6. If a plant gets sick, rule out water, soil, and light then let go if needed.
7. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Let your thriving plants be!
8. Jasmine’s go-to fertilizers: Earthworm castings, Jobe’s sticks, fish emulsion.
9. Know your growing zone. It helps with when and what to grow.
10. Herbs are a great beginner’s garden: basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro, thyme.
11. Neem oil helps with bugs, but go easy to avoid burning your plants.

Plants & Friendships: The Connection
– Water = Communication: honest, steady connection keeps things alive.
– Light = Presence: Show up and listen with care.
– Soil = Foundation: Share space with like-minded, growth-oriented people.

Navigating Relationships
– In tough seasons (like a pandemic), honor your needs first. Be clear and compassionate.
– Stay open-minded. Friendships can bloom in unexpected ways.
– Like plants, some friendships are for a season, others for a lifetime. Both matter.

Grief & Healing: What We’ve Learned

As we honor 10 years of Flower Girls Meet, we’ve been reflecting on the moments that shaped us. One that still feels especially resonant is our 2020 Grief and Healing talk in partnership with NAMI Chicago. We gathered virtually during a time of deep uncertainty to hold space for honest conversation about loss, resilience, and the slow sacred work of healing. Five years later, the lessons still hold. Grief may evolve, but the need to feel, process, and connect remains. See below for the recap!

We’re all grieving something.
Loss of a job.
Loss of a loved one.
Loss of normalcy, faith, or connection.
Grief doesn’t always look like sadness — it can show up as exhaustion, anger, or feeling stuck.

Grief isn’t linear.
You might feel all five stages at once.
You might cycle through them again and again.
It may even feel harder with time, and that’s valid.

It’s not just in your head.
Grief can manifest in the body:
Headaches
Stomach aches
Fatigue
Your body remembers what your mind is still processing

So how do we heal?
There’s no quick fix, but there are soft tools:
• Meditation
• Prayer
• Journaling
• Gratitude
• Reaching out for help
Give yourself permission to tend to your grief.

Community wisdom

  • Create an aversion/ attraction list like a vision board for what you’re letting go of and calling in.
  • Rearrange your space and bake everything on Pinterest!
  • There’s always a silver lining in adversity.
  • Do random check-ins with your friends. It helps.

You’re not alone.

Grief is real.
Healing takes time.
And this community is always here for you!

Daytreat 2025

Our third annual Daytreat at Body Bar Chicago was filled with movement, floral therapy, and sweet community care, complete with affirmations and delicious bites to round out the day!

Grateful to everyone who joined us, to Body Bar Chicago for hosting us, Boards by BW for the treats, Angel for guiding such a grounding Pilates session, and Trader Joe’s for the partial flower donation that made our arrangements even more special! Beautiful captures by Karmyn Stewart Photography.

Journaling on iPhone with Apple!

Vanessa Flowers, Founder of Flower Girls Meet, hosted her first Today at Apple event in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, and it was such a treat! We’re so grateful for the opportunity to hold space for reflection, creativity, and connection. We’re looking forward to more moments like this to explore how we can all take better care of ourselves. Now more than ever, it’s essential to find what works for you – like building your own personal self-care kit.

Drawing Flowers at Lurie Garden

Last weekend, we gathered at Lurie Garden for a peaceful afternoon of shadow drawing, creativity, and connection. With guidance from the wonderful Jacqueline Carmody, we explored nature through art, shared space, and took time to slow down.

A big thank you Lurie Garden for hosting us, and to our amazing partners for making the day extra special. And of course, heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us. Here are some lovely moments from the day. We hope they bring a little joy and inspiration to you screen!