Reclaiming Your Intuition In The Garden
A call to remember what you already know
Intuition- The Forgotten Superpower
Some of my earliest memories are of running wild through the woods of Massachusetts—picking blueberries, searching for arrowheads and the rare lady slipper flower, building rafts, and exploring without a sense of boundaries. Looking back, it’s wild to imagine that kind of childhood today, but I’m deeply grateful for it.
That forest was my playground, my teacher. It watched me grow, instilling in me an appreciation, a sense of wonder, and an unspoken responsibility for the land.
But the woods are gone now. In their place stand rows of houses. The magic has dissipated. Where will those precious lady slipper grown now that they lost this home? What of the wild animals who would come and visit my grandparents in their back yard? Where now will the children play?
I feel a deep sadness knowing that the children growing up there are less likely to know the joy of getting lost in the trees, of building forts from fallen branches, of learning how to find their way home when they travel too far?
The Urgency of Reconnection
There is an urgency to reconnect with nature—not just for ourselves, but for the planet and future generations. Wild places are disappearing at an alarming rate, soils are deteriorating, and even as home gardeners, we often unknowingly work against nature instead of with it.
Not because we intend harm, but because we’ve been taught to follow formulas instead of feelings. To purchase products instead of repurpose what we have.
I’m not here to list all the environmental crises we’re facing—you don’t have to look far to find that information. Instead, I want to offer something else: a way to shift the story to want that includes more wild places as nature intended.
The Lost Sense of Intuition
Our intuition has become, in many ways, a forgotten sense. It’s been overshadowed by external validation, the need to be accepted, and the belief that logic always trumps feeling.
Yet, while I am a lifelong learner of all things gardening and believe in science-backed methods, I also recognize that there are things science hasn’t yet fully explained—our connection to the land, the unspoken intelligence of nature, the way we can “just know” what a plant needs.
Intuitive gardening isn’t about rules.
It’s about trust.
Trusting yourself. Trusting the land. Trusting that nature knows what to do.
What is Intuitive Gardening?
The Magic of Nature’s Intelligence
Science is only just beginning to uncover what many indigenous and ancestral traditions have always known: nature is intelligent.
It operates in effortless, interwoven relationships. The world is held together by unseen threads of connection, instinct, and delicate balance—an ancient intelligence that guides everything from seed to sky.
When we begin to tune in, we are no longer just gardeners. We become guardians.
We step into nature’s grand design, not as controllers, but as active participants who have the ability to bring about positive change. To repair and not to harm.
Like Intuition, Nature Operates Through Innate Wisdom
No one tells the sun when to rise.
No one reminds the tides when to shift.
No one instructs the trees on when to drop their leaves.
It just happens—seamlessly, perfectly, in a way that defies human logic but is undeniably real.
When we become stewards of the earth, we stop asking how do I control this? and start asking:
🌀 What can I learn from it?
Examples of Nature’s Intelligence
Fungal Networks (Mycorrhizae)
Beneath our feet lies one of nature’s greatest wonders—a vast network of fungi connecting plant roots, allowing trees to share nutrients, warn each other of disease, and support struggling plants.
A mother tree will send more nutrients to her offspring through this underground web—an act of unseen generosity, ensuring the survival of future generations.
Pollinators & Flowers: A Silent Symbiosis
Flowers don’t chase pollinators.
They attract them—adapting over time by changing their scent, color, and nectar to make themselves irresistible.
The result? A perfect exchange: pollinators receive food, and plants ensure reproduction.
Companion Planting: Harmony in Action
Some plants simply grow better together—sharing nutrients, deterring pests, or providing shade for one another.
Science calls it allelopathy.
Nature calls it harmony.
The Rhythm of the Seasons
Seeds don’t sprout in the dead of winter.
Trees don’t rush to bloom before their time.
Nature follows deep, ancient rhythms that ensure survival.
When we learn from this, we begin to move with the seasons rather than against them.
Lessons for Gardeners: Working With the Land
You are not alone in your garden. The Earth knows what it needs to thrive.
The question is: Are we listening?
The biggest mistake gardeners make is trying to impose our will on the land. What I suggest is instead we first ask:
🌀 What does this space actually need?
Shifting from Control to Collaboration
Instead of forcing plants to grow in unnatural conditions,
- we plant in alignment with the land’s needs.
Instead of following a one-size-fits-all gardening calendar,
- we observe the actual signs in our own gardens.
Instead of treating soil as just a medium,
- we recognize it as a living, breathing ecosystem seeking balance.
Reclaiming Intuition in the Garden
When we watch, feel, and respond, we become part of something larger than ourselves.
This isn’t magic—although sometimes, it might feel that way.
It’s simply remembering how to listen.
Nature whispers, but if we slow down enough, the answers are already there.
Final Thought: Your Call to Reconnect
If you’ve ever had a moment where you felt drawn to a plant, sensed something was off in your garden before seeing the signs, or just knew where a tree should go before looking up the “right” answer…
That was intuition speaking.
The question is:
Are you ready to listen?
Join the Conversation
🌀 Have you ever experienced an intuitive moment in your garden?
🌀 What lessons has nature taught you when you stopped trying to control it?
Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear your experiences!