A quiet observation from the Lion Gardener. đŚ
Thereâs a moment most gardeners reach â usually quietly â when the fun starts slipping away. Nothing dramatic happens. The garden still grows. The plants still come up. But the joy gets thinner, and the pressure gets heavier.
Somewhere along the way, gardening stops being something you do and starts being something you have to keep up with. Perfect timing. Perfect spacing. Perfect advice from people who donât garden where you live.
Over the years, Iâve watched a lot of gardeners burn out, and itâs rarely because they failed. Itâs because they tried too hard to do everything right.
They read too much, compare too often, and second-guess decisions that were working just fine before someone online said otherwise. Perfection sneaks in disguised as âdoing better.â Before you give up on gardening ask yourself "would I quit gardening if I wasn't being judged?"
Your garden does not need to be optimized. It doesnât need to prove anything.
Some of the healthiest gardens Iâve seen were work in progress, repetitive, and deeply personal.
The Lion Gardener watches instead of rushing. Notices what thrives without fuss.
Remembers what wasnât worth repeating. Accepts that some years are generous,
and some are simply lessons. There's always next year.
(One year I got busy and forgot to water the garden, I lost all of my squash. I am still here.)
A good garden supports the gardener â not the other way around.
If perfection has been draining the joy from your garden, youâre allowed to let it go.
The soil wonât judge you, and the garden will still be there next year.