Terrace green thumb giving away 90 flower planters to bring joy to neighbours this pandemic spring

Blossoms can be a real mood booster after a stressful pandemic winter and Terrace resident Kristen Beattie is hoping to bring a little brightness to her community by donating dozens of free planter kits to her neighbours this spring.

Beattie is the founder of The Cheerful Flowers Project and aims to give away 90 kits to people in and around Terrace before the beginning of June. Those kits include a planter, soil and plants and art supplies to decorate the planter.

The idea came to her in 2020 when the pandemic first began and the flowers were coming out as people were shutting themselves in. Beattiesaid her own garden brought her and people out walking such joy she wanted to find a way to spread some of it around.

So, last year, she made 34 planters, filled them with plants and gave them away. This year, with the help of a neighbourhood grant from the Vancouver Foundation, sheis able to almost triple the size of her operation.

• Click here for more stories fromNorthern B.C.

"I do a little happy dance every time I see one pop up on someone's porch," said Beattie, speaking on CBC's Daybreak North."It's so much fun."

To receive one, people can visitThe Cheerful Flowers Project's Facebook page and fill out an application form until all planters have been spoken for.

Beattie started about 60 plants from seed herself and The Spotted Horse Farm and Nursery in Terrace donated some as well. Her plan is for each planter to have two plants and one lily bulb in it because lilies are perennials.

The few planters she donated last year she decorated herselfbut this time around decided to send supplies instead, figuring it might be afun activity for a familyto do together.

"I'm hoping it makes people happy," she said about the project in general.

And so far, it's making Beattie happy too.

She said seeing people bringing out their planters from last year has been wonderful and, in some cases, she has even dropped off a few new plants to "freshen them up."

To learn more, visit The Cheerful Flowers Project online.

LISTEN| Beattie explains The Cheerful Flowers Project: