Chaos gardening with just enough structure
- Erin Bakker
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
I subscribe pretty heavily to chaos gardening.
Not total chaos. I need a little structure or things start looking abandoned instead of romantic.
So I have my dependable plants doing the grown-up work. Hydrangeas. Salvia. Plumbago. Roses. The things that come back, hold their shape, and make the garden feel intentional.
Then I completely ruin the order.
In between all of that structure, I throw zinnia, blackeyed susan and cosmo seeds everywhere. And sunflowers along the fenceline.
No careful spacing. No color plan. No measuring.
Just handfuls of seeds tossed into open spots with a very loose understanding that nature can probably handle the rest. I don't even bury them. I throw them and stomp them into the soil.
And every year, it works.
For most of the spring and fall, it is gorgeous.
Zinnias popping up wherever they feel like it. Different heights, different colors, flowers leaning into each other, cutting flowers everywhere. It feels abundant and slightly unruly in the best way.
Then July and August arrive.
And it is a dried-up mess. Completely.
Florida heat takes over, everything looks tired, and there is always a point where I look outside and think maybe this was a terrible idea.
Then I do it again the next year. Every single time.Honestly I can usdually get another bloom in September through November from flowers that have self seeded during the months that are hot as the surface of the sun.
I would rather have a garden that is wildly beautiful for part of the year than one that is perfectly controlled all year long.
I think that is what I like about chaos gardening. It leaves room for surprise.
You still need the bones. The hydrangeas, the roses, the plants that give the garden shape.
But in between? That is where the fun is.
Throw the seeds. Let something unexpected come up.
Cut the flowers and bring them inside.
Ignore the fact that July and August will come. You can deal with that later.
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