For Little Bird Gardens owner Kim Cantrell, the best part of her day is stepping inside her nursery located at The Country Store & Farm.

Cantrell, who runs the nursery along with manager Susan Carper, said she “wants to make gardening more joyful” for those who come to Little Bird Gardens. While the business offers a smaller inventory of plants, the nursery also offers consulting services, landscaping services, special orders, pruning tutorials and gardening workshops.

“We want to be really helpful,” said Cantrell.

Cantrell began gardening for fellow islanders when she moved to Vashon in 1996, and at that time Cantrell said she became “addicted to plants.” Around ten years ago, she expanded her business into landscaping.

In 2019, Cantrell found available space at The Country Store & Farm to open Little Bird Gardens. From November to December 2019, Cantrell worked on remodeling the shed in the nursery and made other preparations to open the business.

Originally, Cantrell had planned on opening Little Bird Gardens by April 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed her plans. Instead, she was able to open as of May 1, 2020.

According to Cantrell, the mission of Little Bird Gardens is to provide plants that work well within the Pacific Northwest landscape. All plants sold at Little Bird Gardens are hand-selected, and are sourced from Northwest nurseries, she said.

“We’re here to help you find the right plant,” said Cantrell. “We want gardening to be fun for people.”

Little Bird Gardens is also quickly approaching its second birthday in May, which will be celebrated with a party from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 6, featuring special guest and ceramic artist Elaine Summers. As Little Bird Gardens wasn’t able to have a grand opening or a first birthday celebration, Cantrell is eager for the opportunity to celebrate two years of the nursery.

“I’m welcoming you to my garden,” said Cantrell.

Note: For more information about Little Bird Gardens, visit its website at www.littlebirdgardens.com.