I'd Propagate That: Rooted in Stewardship – The Meaning Behind Our Community Garden Initiative
Updated: Jul 29
I’d Propagate That: What Propagation Teaches Us About Legacy and Stewardship
In my garden, I learned that nothing grows without God's blessing. I also learned something equally profound: growth doesn't happen in isolation. It happens when we tend to what came before us, honor the roots that sustain us, and intentionally nurture the next generation. This is what "I'd propagate that" means to me.
When you propagate a plant, you're not creating something new from nothing. You're taking a small piece of the parent plant—a cutting, a leaf, or a seed—and giving it the conditions to grow into something thriving and independent. But you never forget where it came from. You honor the parent plant. You acknowledge the beginning. You understand that your responsibility is to steward that legacy forward.
This is the heart of The Calico Boutique's newest community initiative: Growth in the Garden at the Gardens at Glenville Lake, in the College Heights neighborhood—right next to where I grew up in Seabrook Hills.
What Good Comes from the Murc? (Murchison Road + Faith + Identity)
For years, I've endured conversations that reflect the same question: "What good comes from the Murc?" Murchison Road. The corridor that shaped me. The neighborhood that raised me. The community that taught me resilience, faith, and the power of showing up. Scripture tells us about Nathanael asking, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46, NKJV). He was skeptical. He doubted. But Jesus proved him wrong. I've spent my life proving that question wrong too.
There is so much good that has come from the Murc—good that has been overlooked, underrecognized, and forgotten for decades. There is culture. There is community. There is a history rich with the stories of people who built something beautiful with what they had. And it's still thriving today, even as Fayetteville State University expands and the Murchison Road corridor faces its coming changes.
I wanted to do more than just acknowledge that good. I wanted to steward it. To protect it. To ensure that the next generation knows where they come from and what they're capable of building.
Stewardship Begins with Roots (College Heights + Gardens at Glenville Lake)
The Gardens at Glenville Lake has been family-owned for over 100 years. It backs up to Glenville Lake and the west side of Mazerick Park. The Gardens at Glenville Lake sits in a natural preserve and holds the history of a community that has endured constant economic impacts and change. When I partnered with the Gardens at Glenville Lake to begin stewarding their community garden, I wasn't just planting fruit trees or vegetables. I was planting a statement: We remember. We honor. We grow.
The monthly community days The Calico Boutique is hosting aren't just about teaching gardening techniques. They're about addressing food insecurity in neighborhoods that have been underserved for too long. They're about empowering our neighbors to grow their own food, to become stewards of their own tables, and to understand that they have the power to create abundance.
With sponsors like Walmart and Dogwood Nursery & Sheds, we've laid the groundwork for something sustainable. Vertical gardening—which makes it possible for those in apartments and small spaces to grow—ensures that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can participate in this movement.
Propagation as Legacy: Tending What Came Before Us
When you propagate a plant, you're making a choice: This matters. This is worth continuing. This deserves to grow.
That's what we're doing in the Gardens at Glenville Lake. We're taking the lessons learned in my own garden—peace, love, patience, tenderness—and propagating them into our community. We're saying to our neighbors: Your story matters. Your neighborhood matters. Your ability to grow, to thrive, to create abundance matters.
But propagation requires honoring the parent plant. It requires understanding where the cutting came from, what conditions allowed it to flourish, and what nutrients it needs to survive in new soil. In the same way, stewardship in my neighborhood means honoring the families who built this community. It means recognizing the culture that still thrives. It means learning from the past so the future remains bright.
The “I’d Propagate That” Tee: A Declaration of Stewardship
The "I'd Propagate That" design isn't just a clever play on words. It's a declaration of stewardship. When you wear this tee, you're saying: I see the good in my community. I'm rooted in where I come from. I'm committed to nurturing growth—in my family, in my neighborhood, in my faith, in my legacy.
You're acknowledging the parent plant. You're honoring the beginning. You're committing to be a steward of what comes next. This is what it means to be rooted in stewardship.
A Call to Stewardship
Stewardship isn't just about tending a garden. It's about tending to the places and people we love. It's about asking ourselves: What good am I propagating? What legacy am I building? What will I leave behind?
In the Gardens at Glenville Lake, we're building a legacy of food security, community connection, and the radical belief that good things can—and do—come from neighborhoods that have been overlooked.
I invite you to join us. Whether you participate in a community day at the Gardens at Glenville Lake, support the initiative through sponsorship, or simply wear the "I'd Propagate That" tee as a declaration of your commitment to stewardship—you're part of this movement. You're saying: I'm rooted. I'm growing. I'm propagating good.
Reflection Questions
What community or neighborhood shaped you? What good has come from that place that deserves to be honored and propagated?
How are you being a steward of your family's legacy? Your faith? Your neighborhood?
What small "cutting" can you take from your own experience and propagate into someone else's life?
What does it mean to you to be "rooted in stewardship"?
Scripture
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." — Colossians 3:12 (NKJV)
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" — John 1:46 (NKJV)
"The righteous will flourish like the palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God." — Psalm 92:12-13 (NKJV)
How to Get Involved: Community Days, Vertical Gardening, and Sponsors
Learn more about the Growth in the Garden initiative and monthly community days at the Gardens at Glenville Lake. Join us in College Heights as we build a legacy of stewardship, food security, and community connection.
"I'd Propagate That" tee and wear your commitment to stewardship. Every purchase supports the Growth in the Garden initiative.
Sign up for The Calico Boutique newsletter to stay updated on community events, new product launches, and the stories behind our faith-inspired designs.
Visit www.thecalicoboutique.com to explore our full collection and join our community of believers who are rooted in faith, fashion, and stewardship.
FAQs
Q1: What does “I’d Propagate That” mean?
A: “I’d Propagate That” means taking something healthy and meaningful—like a plant cutting—and helping it grow in new soil. In this initiative, it represents stewardship: honoring where we come from and nurturing growth for the next generation.
Q2: What is propagation in gardening, in simple terms?
A: Propagation is when you grow a new plant from part of an existing plant, like a cutting, leaf, or seed. It’s a way to multiply what’s already thriving.
Q3: How does a community garden help with food insecurity?
A: A community garden can provide fresh produce, teach practical growing skills, and empower neighbors to steward their own food sources—especially in underserved areas.
Q4: Where is the community garden initiative located?
A: The initiative is connected to Growth in the Garden at the Gardens at Glenville Lake in the College Heights neighborhood, near where Kia Palmer grew up in Seabrook Hills.
Q5: What Bible verse connects to “What good comes from the Murc?”
A: This question mirrors John 1:46 (NKJV), when Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”—and Jesus proved that doubt wrong.
Q6: What is vertical gardening and who is it for?
A: Vertical gardening is growing plants upward (on towers, trellises, or wall systems). It’s great for apartments, small yards, and anyone with limited space.
Q7: What does it mean to be “rooted in stewardship”?
A: Being rooted in stewardship means honoring the legacy that shaped you and taking responsibility to protect, nurture, and grow what matters—faith, family, community, and resources.
Growth in the Garden is a partnership between The Calico Boutique, the Gardens at Glenville Lake, and sponsors including Walmart, and Dogwood Nursery & Sheds. Together, we're building a thriving community garden in College Heights and Seabrook Hills that addresses food insecurity one propagation at a time.*
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