For the Love of Gardening?

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1 Let Your Hands Get Dirty.

2 How to Create the Perfect Potted Garden

2.1 Materials You’ll Need:

2.2 Step-by-Step:

3 Choosing Your Plants:

4 Final Thoughts

Let Your Hands Get Dirty.

Each spring, as the days longer and the air softens with possibility, I find myself drawn—almost magnetically—toward the garden. It’s a ritual as nourishing as tea in the morning or rolling out my mat for Yoga. There’s something deeply soulful about digging your hands into the soil, choosing colors and textures that make your heart beat, and creating a little haven of beauty and life.

Whether you have a sprawling backyard or a sunlit balcony, there’s a garden waiting to be born. Maybe it’s a kitchen herb garden with pots of basil, mint, and rosemary lined along a sunny windowsill or a vibrant flower patch curated for bees and butterflies. Maybe it’s a mix of both. I always start with a vision: Am I craving the calm of soft pastels or the joy of bright blooms? Do I want pots of healing herbs to pluck for tea or a sensory haven of lavender, roses, and sage?

This year, I’ve been dreaming of a mixed container garden—terra cotta pots clustered together in sunny corners, each filled with a palette of blooms chosen for their resilience and radiance. I love the creative process of visiting the local greenhouse, strolling through the aisles, and letting my intuition guide me. I’ll gently run my fingers over the leaves, read the tags (is it full sun or shade?), and imagine how each plant will look in the morning light.

Where you place your garden matters—just like where you sit for meditation or roll out your Yoga mat, observe your space’s light and rhythm. If you’re working with limited outdoor space, container gardening is an excellent option. Pots can be moved throughout the season as the sun shifts, and they offer flexibility in design and maintenance. If you’re blessed with a yard, consider whether you want to dig around the house (maybe a border garden of low-maintenance perennials?) or section off a plot for flowers, herbs, or vegetables.

Depending on where you live, waiting until the threat of frost has passed is essential. For most of us, this means planting can begin safely around late April to early May, depending on the year. But don’t rush. Part of the joy of gardening is anticipation—watching, planning, and slowly gathering your supplies until the earth is ready.

And if you don’t have your patch of dirt? Look around your community. Many neighborhoods now offer community garden plots, and even if they’re full this season, get your name on the list for next year. Or reach out to a neighbor or friend with a thriving garden and ask if they could use an extra pair of hands. Gardening together creates a connection—another form of tending and nurturing the earth and our relationships.

There’s no one right way to garden. What matters is that it brings you joy. Choose the plants you love. Design with your senses. Let it be playful. Let it be imperfect. Let it grow wild around the edges.

In many ways, gardening mirrors our Yoga practice: we prepare the ground, plant with intention, and then let go. We water, weed, and wait—and somewhere in the quiet unfolding, something beautiful begins to bloom.

How to Create the Perfect Potted Garden

A simple, beautiful way to bring life—and flavor—to your windowsill, patio, or balcony

If you’re not quite ready for a full garden or want to begin in a more minor, more contained way, a potted garden is a beautiful and valuable place to start. Herbs are forgiving, fragrant, and often surprisingly easy to grow. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about snipping fresh herbs for your meals, teas, or bath at the end of the day. If it’s a flower-potted garden calling you, create to your heart’s content and enjoy the vibrant blossoms.

Materials You’ll Need:

Pots with drainage holes (terra cotta, ceramic, or even recycled containers work well)
High-quality potting soil (look for one formulated for container gardening)
Vermiculite or perlite to improve drainage and prevent root rot
Small rocks or broken pieces of old pots for layering the bottom of each container
Herbs of your choice (based on what you love to cook with—or dream of gifting dried)
Watering can
Gardening gloves
Small hand trowel and garden fork

Step-by-Step:

Choose your container.
It can be as simple or artistic as you like—ensure it has a drainage hole. Without proper drainage, roots can become waterlogged and unhappy.
Layer for drainage.
Place a few small rocks, gravel, or broken terracotta pieces in the bottom of your pot. This helps excess water flow through and keeps the roots healthy.
Mix your soil.
Use a high-quality potting soil, and consider mixing in a little vermiculite or perlite to keep the soil light and well-drained—especially important for herbs that don’t like to sit in moisture.
Plant your herbs/flowers.
Loosen the roots gently before placing them in the soil. Space them out enough to allow airflow and room to grow, even if they’re in separate containers grouped.
Water deeply, but not too often.
Plants like their roots to dry out a little between waterings. Stick your finger into the soil—if it’s dry a couple of inches down, it’s time to water.
Sunlight matters.
Most plants love full sun, so aim for 6–8 hours of light daily. South- or west-facing windows and patios are ideal. For shadier spaces, mint, parsley, chives, or impatient flowers are more forgiving and will still thrive with 3–4 hours of sun.

Choosing Your Plants:

Start with herbs/flowers you love and use. The staples are basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, chives, parsley, and mint. You might also consider lavender, lemon balm, or sage if you enjoy herbal teas or making your skincare infusions. Look for daisies, nasturtiums, pansies, geraniums, and begonias for flowers.

And here’s a lovely thought—consider drying your herbs at the end of the season, tying them into bundles with twine, or tucking them into little muslin bags. They make heartfelt gifts for friends and family—reminders of summer sun and your care.

Final Thoughts

Gardening, whether in pots or plots, is a gentle daily invitation to pause, connect, and tend. It’s a way of slowing down, of creating beauty and nourishment right where you are. There’s magic in watching something grow—especially when you’ve placed it in the soil yourself, whispered your hopes into its roots, and cared for it through the changing weather of your days.

It reminds us that healing, joy, and transformation don’t happen all at once—they happen slowly, with attention, and over time. Like our Yoga or meditation practice, gardening asks us to be present. To return, again and again, with open hands and curious hearts. To embrace the messiness. To celebrate the small victories: the first sprout, the burst of color, the fragrance that greets you on a warm afternoon.

So plant something this season—just one pot of basil, a bundle of lavender, a window box of bright nasturtiums. Let it be your morning ritual, evening check-in, and quiet companion. Let your hands get dirty. Let your heart grow softer. And if you’re lucky, you’ll harvest more than just herbs or flowers—you’ll gather stillness, gratitude, and a more profound sense of belonging to this beautiful, breathing earth.