PlantShare in the News

On the corner of 45th Ave NE and NE 40th Street in Laurelhurst lies a treasure trove of plans being shared. Have you ever planted a pack of vegetables from the nursery only to have 12 heads of lettuce mature all at the same time? Why not give half away and plant something else? PlantShare is an online matching service that connects neighbors with extra plants to neighbors who want them. Whether you have too much, or are re-landscaping, it's a way to help recycle urban landscapes and mitigate climate change. I thought this was friendly neighbor giving away extra plants for the neighborhood, but it is vast network and garden resource.

As you walk through our eclectic and interesting neighborhood, try a Neighborhood Trivia walk. This month, see if you can find: - the "positive tree" with uplifting messages just for you and by you! - The "Laurelhurst Triangle" - The "plant sharing" stand - The street-end where you can see Mt. Rainier on a clear morning - The "little red schoolhouse" free book lending post. Answers in our next issue.

How would you like to meet more of your neighbors, celebrate the bounty of your garden, forge new friendships on common ground, and strengthen your community ties? Dina Russell, gardener and founder of PlantShare®, believes plants can help you do all of that. “Think about it—the development of the original human society was created by plants,” Dina says. “Plants enabled us to stop being nomadic and settle down.” Civilizations followed. Plants connected them. The historic Silk Road and its spice

With reuse at the heart of what we do, we are always excited to discover other small businesses creating new solutions for incorporating reuse into your home, or in this case, garden. PlantShare has developed a versatile container garden system that allows you to cultivate plants in a variety of spaces or share your excess plants with the neighborhood. Not unlike Free Little Libraries, PlantShare Kiosks build community through encouraging neighbors to exchange excess plants.

When we moved to Laurelhurst 30 years ago, much of our parcel was covered in black plastic and had been heavily treated with pesticides and herbicides. The parking strip was paved with asphalt and the soil was heavy clay. The house and garden were strictly separated making it hard to enjoy garden views and segue from one to the other. My ideal garden interweaves elements of function, discovery, story and lifestyle. Pragmatically, I want

Nothing makes folks smile quite like receiving a bouquet of freshly cut flowers. Dina Russell knows this well. She's been sharing her garden with her Laurelhurst neighbors for years. "Especially during the summer, I have so much it seems I can't give them away fast enough," she told me. We;'d linked up to discuss her most recent venture: Plant-Share.com. In her third career move (Dina spent her early childhood as a water therapist and her professional career as a plant biologist at the University of Washington),

Dina, a long-time Laurelhurst resident, recently start a free neighborhood plant sharing exchange business call Plant-Share.com, servicing Laurelhurst and other nearby neighborhoods. Dina told us her new business, which she says is her third career, is "a way for neighbors to give their extra plants to neighbors who want them… and it's free. "Plant-Share.com is a hub designed to connect neighbors who have extra plants to give to neighbors who want them.