Six years ago, Monica Aragon left 42 tiny succulents in parks and along trails throughout Fort Collins. Each one was paired with a handwritten card filled with doodles and words of encouragement.
She didn’t leave her name. She wasn’t trying to start a business.
She simply hoped someone who needed a little kindness would stumble across a plant and smile.
Today, that simple act has grown into Plantiness, a Fort Collins-based community initiative that has gifted more than 5,800 plants across 26 states and 14 countries while inspiring thousands of people to slow down, create something with their hands, and pass kindness on to someone else.
For Aragon, Plantiness has never been just about plants.
“It’s the happiness plants give you,” she says.
The idea was born during one of the most difficult periods of her life. After losing her father following a long battle with brain cancer, Aragon found comfort in caring for plants. Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, and while working at King Soopers, she witnessed the fear, uncertainty, and isolation affecting her community every day.
“If plants could help me heal,” she remembers thinking, “maybe they could help someone else, too.”
That thought became Plantiness.
What started with a handful of succulents and handwritten notes slowly evolved through word of mouth into something much larger. Today, Plantiness hosts more than simple plant giveaways. Aragon brings guided Plantiness Parties to businesses, breweries, nonprofits, festivals, schools, and private celebrations across Northern Colorado, creating experiences centered around creativity, connection, and community.
Guests choose their own houseplant, decorate a terracotta pot using paints, ribbons, stickers, gems, and other craft materials, then leave with a personalized creation they designed themselves. Whether it’s a birthday, bridal shower, employee appreciation event, retirement celebration, wellness program, or corporate team-building activity, every event is designed to help people slow down, create something meaningful, and spend time together.
For every ticket purchased, another plant is gifted back into the community, helping Plantiness continue the mission that started it all.
Among the most memorable experiences Plantiness offers are its Tattoo Parties, created in partnership with local tattoo artists. Guests decorate a pot, choose a plant, and receive a tattoo during the same event, creating an experience that blends plants, creativity, art, and self-expression in a way that’s uniquely Northern Colorado.
“It’s one of those events where people leave talking about it for weeks,” Aragon says. “It’s unexpected, creative, and just plain fun.”
Most of the thousands of plants Plantiness has gifted have been propagated and grown by Aragon herself. Over the years, community members have also donated countless plants and cuttings to help the mission continue growing.
“Every cutting someone donates has the potential to become dozens of future gifts,” she says.
After operating entirely as a mobile business for six years, Plantiness recently celebrated another milestone by opening its first permanent home inside Pine & Co. in Old Town Fort Collins.
The opportunity came unexpectedly.
Pine & Co. owners Katie Briggs and Emily Moore met Aragon at a local event while preparing to open their new vendor marketplace. They had long envisioned filling the shop with local artists, makers, and beautiful plants, and they immediately felt Plantiness belonged there.
“It felt like complete kismet,” Aragon says. “They asked if Plantiness needed a place to call home, and I said yes immediately.”
Having a permanent location doesn’t mean Plantiness is slowing down.
Far from it.
The shop gives people a place to find Plantiness throughout the week while allowing Aragon to continue traveling throughout Colorado for private events, workshops, pop-ups, breweries, festivals, and corporate gatherings.
“Being inside Pine & Co. means people can finally find us year-round,” she says. “But I’ll always be mobile. I love bringing Plantiness directly to people.”
Despite the growth, Plantiness remains entirely self-funded. There are no investors behind the business. Every event booked, every plant purchased, and every workshop attended helps support future plant giveaways and keeps the mission moving forward.
Aragon hopes to eventually build a greenhouse and dedicated workspace, create well-paying jobs, establish additional Plantiness locations, launch educational programs that teach children about plants and community, and partner with sponsors and donors who believe kindness deserves to grow.
Her goal is ambitious.
She wants to gift at least 12,000 plants, reach every U.S. state, and continue spreading Plantiness around the world.
But for Aragon, success isn’t measured only by numbers.
She hopes every person who receives a plant remembers how it made them feel and chooses to pass that kindness along to someone else.
“Kindness grows,” she says. “It ripples outward. Together, those little ripples become waves that can change the world.”
And for six years now, that’s exactly what Plantiness has been doing, one plant at a time.
Connect with Plantiness on Facebook and Instagram and come to a Plantiness Party!