The stars and plants connection

Four Arrows Garden, located in Vail, Arizona, has been a supporter of Reach for the Stars (www.rftstars.com) since they began their nonprofit organization several years ago — around the same time that we launched our plant nursery. Their mission is to improve mental health for children in the community through astronomy, STEM and volunteer opportunities. As parents of four school-aged children, that intrigued us. We also felt that the stories they shared about the positive impacts of widening perspectives, finding peace and sparking creativity through astronomy were very similar to our positive experiences outside in the garden.

Our plant nursery started as a hobby in our backyard three years ago as we struggled through some personal hardships that felt heavy and hopeless. We found ourselves drawn outside every day and started propagating plants and “playing in the dirt” with our children, which really improved our outlook and helped give our family something to look forward to each day that didn’t involve a computer screen.

It was around that time that we met Kira and Carlos of Reach for the Stars and became connected with them through our shared values and community involvement. While gardening and astronomy are two very different areas, we do feel they both help widen perspectives and bring a sense of joy and fulfillment that only hands-on experiences can do. 

In 2023, we moved from our Corona de Tucson location and opened our 3-acre garden center in Vail and knew that one of our first community events had to involve hosting a Stargazing Party in the garden for Reach for the Stars. Kira and Carlos handled everything. We just had to open the garden and let our community know about this exciting and free event for the family. It was so fun to look around the garden at dusk and see families spread out on blankets staring up at the night sky. We can’t wait to do it again this summer!

— Linsay Chavez, co-founder, Four Arrows Garden

See more at fourarrowsgarden.com