ATLANTA — Atlanta is blooming brighter, thanks to a guerilla gardener who is spreading sunshine and honoring her mother's life - one seed at a time.
Melly Meadows, or the Daffodil Lady as many know her, says watching flowers grow is akin to listening to poetry.
"For me, a garden talks, it talks to you," she said, with her hands in the dirt.
She reads the beauty in their spouts as they break through the earth and bloom into true, unique masterpieces for the world to view.
"So when the wind blows, they flow; their bloom is their one-in-a-lifetime performance," Melly said.
But for Melly, it's the secret that excites her the most.
"We call them guerilla gardens, because people don't know you're planting them," she explained.
Three years ago, she began planting secret gardens in unsuspecting people's yards throughout the city to honor her mother, Donna Meadows.
"She taught my sister and me that kindness is not words - it's action," Melly said.
Click play below to see some of Meadows' work.
Melly's mother was the first female mayor in Jonesboro and dedicated her career to inclusion and kindness. Melly describes her mother as a changemaker committed to racial equality in the South.
Donna and now Melly draw inspiration from the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who encouraged people to cause good trouble. Under the dirt and undercover, Melly is planting that promise in Georgia.
"You sneak in, you plant the flowers, and nobody knows you're there," she said."I am not always around when they see it, I just go to sleep at night happy knowing that it made someone happy."
Recently, Melly surprised her mom's former coworker, Mr. Reggie, with a garden celebrating their friendship.
"That's what it's all about - for us to love one another," he said. "Get along with one another. Walk with one another."
Right after beautifying Reggie's yard, Melly took a group of children to plant flowers at a local cemetery to teach them that the best way to protect the future is to learn from the past.
In those small moments, Melly sees humanity take root, wishing that the seed of knowledge she spreads today can help grow more connections in a world that feels distant.
Click play below to see Melly at work.
Her next project was given to her by a man experiencing homelessness in Atlanta who calls himself Parking Lot Dan. He's asked Melly to plant a garden in his corner of the city.
"Parking Lot Dan said, 'Come over here and make this pretty,'" she said, "he told me no one cares about this."
But Melly does.
Melly believes everyone deserves to feel nurtured right where they're planted.
"The kindness doesn't start with planting a flower that people can see, the kindness starts within your heart," she said.
