Why the patriarchy doesn't want you to garden
And what were gonna do about that...
Hi darling, I’m Kendall, a horticultural therapist. Here on my Substack, I share tips on how to use your garden to grow your personal power in a world that tries to keep women stuck, exhausted & burnt out. Come grab your trowel and join the rebellion, we’ve got a patriarchy to dismantle.
Welcome to the Seed, the place where we learn to resource ourselves in the garden so that we can unlock more joy in our lives.
The single most powerful thing about gardening is that it allows you to quiet your mind, to stay present in the moment (even more so when you infuse your practice with my mindful gardening activities) and to not have your brain darting off every 2 minutes to worry about all the things you still have to do.
It’s in this headspace where you can start to ponder on all the things that you have no time for when you’re stuck on that hamster wheel of the day to day; rushing from one task to the next, until you collapse on a heap on the floor.
Space to process that massive fight you had with your partner, that you still haven’t been able to work out your feelings around.
To process that frankly hugely misogynistic comment your boss made about you in a meeting with a load of other people present. A comment that made you feel like shit, but you felt too awkward to call out in the moment.
To process those huge feelings that come up for you every time your little one has a meltdown, because you were never taught how to cope with your own big emotions let alone somebody else’s.
Space to dream, to think, to form your opinions about the world and how you want to live in it. Space to re-grow your personal power after redundancy, grief, new motherhood or burnout stripped it from you.
It’s this space that the patriarchy is afraid of. Because if you really have space and time to stop and think about your journey so far in this world and the things that our society expects, demands even, of women, there’s no fucking way you’d agree to it.
So the patriarchy keeps us busy so we don’t have the space and the time to wise the fuck up.
It keeps us doing all the things for everyone else. Earning the money, doing the caring, doing the lionesses share of the domestic load, so that we have no time, no space to stop and think.
It tells us constantly that we aren’t good enough, makes us feel like we’re failing at everything so we try and work harder to prove our worth. It’s no surprise then that 93% of us are teetering on the edge of burnout.
If you have got any chance of not becoming a crumpled heap on the floor; unable to do anything because your mind, body and soul is so fucking frazzled from your relentless quest to prove you are enough; you need to stop and think.
You need to have the space to use that amazing brain of yours, to create, to dream, to ideate on what is possible, not just for you. But what is possible for future generations of women if you can re-grow your power in the garden and show them how to do it too.
I’m inviting you to rebel against this system that is keeping us all stuck. And it’s important to note that it’s not just keeping women stuck. The patriarchy impacts men too. Even though most of our systems, in which the patriarchy thrives, were created by rich, white men. It’s keeping them under huge amounts of pressure to be providers, to be strong emotionally, to be powerful.
Well I think it’s time us women grew our power and helped them out a bit, what do you say? For once lets put our efforts into something that benefits us and not just everyone else around us.
For one week only, I am going to be taking you through the 5 key steps to getting started in your garden. So that you can begin to quiet your mind and re-grow your power, in The Great Garden Rebellion.
We start on Monday 24th March 2025 when the price will go up to £99.
But right now you can join us at the Earlybird rate of £66.
If you feel like you’ve already got the basics nailed and you know what to plant and where to plant it, heading to the garden centre feels exciting rather than overwhelming and you are getting out in your garden regularly as a way to de-stress then The Great Garden Rebellion isn’t for you.
However we all need some support and sisterhood, especially when we are dismantling systems of oppression. So come and join the Seed as a paid member and not only will you get access to my weekly mindful gardening activities to continue your garden journey, but you’ll be able to ask me anything about your garden in our paid members only chat. PLUS have the support of other women who are facing the same challenges as you but are determined to claim back some time for them on a regular basis.
Have you got a border that could do with some love, or perhaps you’ve got a brand new area that you’d love to fill with gorgeous plants?
Come and learn what plants and colours to include to boost your mood and improve your wellbeing.
Wow, I enjoyed in this piece. Gardening as a way to quiet the mind, process big stuff, and reclaim power is so real. I love how you call out the patriarchy keeping us too busy to think straight, especially us women juggling everything. That 93% burnout stat is wild, but no shock there.
Thank you for sharing! It’s refreshing to meet “my plant people” that share the same dream. I’m so tired of “gate keepers” that want to block and control my passion for learning about gardening. They shame me saying I have “too many plants” but no one is shaming them for “too many pets, video games, musical instruments, decorations, etc.” Don’t let haters steal your joy!