Happy weekend, my illuminated beings of love and light! The extra brilliance of the sun and the heat wave sweeping through Northern California seem to be inspiring a stronger yearning for outdoor activity. (I can feel it in the air, okay? It’s too nice out!)
With the ability to adventure outdoors still being limited, I find myself spending more and more time in my witchy little backyard garden! If you have even a little outdoor space at home, why not turn it into a magical witch garden of your own? It is still spring, after all!
Still working on your green thumb? Worry not! You do not need to be a gardening expert or a seasoned green witch to make your dreams of the perfect witch’s garden come true! I started with one plant I received as a gift that I was terrified I would accidentally kill! But I kept dreaming of a magical sacred garden flourishing around me, and I decided to take baby steps towards this goal. Now it is time to pass all the witchy garden ideas and tips I have uncovered to you!
WITCHY GARDEN IDEA #1:
Start with just one plant! Whether you are working with a small shelf under your window or an entire backyard, start small so as not to get overwhelmed. (If you are a more confident plant parent you can definitely ignore this step and go adopt a jungle! Do you!)
Even if you want to start with a few new plants, make sure you are able to commit to the maintenance they require. If they are easy to take care of, especially at first, watching your garden flourish with such minimal effort will be a HUGE confidence booster.
This is the jade plant gift that started it all! Two years later and it is still thriving (and even seems to have adopted a fossilized mushroom).
WITCHY GARDEN IDEA #2:
Research plants that live naturally in your climate!!! For inspiration, take note of the other plants that grow in your area. For example, in San Francisco succulents are EVERYWHERE. I saw that not only were they being enthusiastically cultivated by my neighbors, they were also sprouting up naturally and thriving. If certain varieties of plants are flourishing on their own in the same climate as you, chances are they will do the same for you with little effort on your part! This realization is KEY to unlocking a magical witchy garden that practically grows itself!
I don’t water them, like, EVER! 
This chill cactus has adopted a couple blades of grass and a snail shell in there somewhere. 
Are you blushing?!?
When I first received that jade plant, I panicked until I remembered I had seen jade plants growing on their own by the beach. No one was watering them – the fog and mist gave them all they needed. So I decided to ignore it completely, and found success!
I pretty much never water any of my outdoor plants because the elements take care of that for me! To use this strategy yourself, do a little Google research on what plants grow best in your environment. When you purposefully select plants that compliment the growing conditions you offer, they will reward you by growing happily with little to no intervention on your part!
WITCHY GARDEN IDEA #3:
LET IT GROOOOOOW!!!
What makes a garden witchy? It displays the magic of nature!
Ivy trailing up fences, wildflowers, and glistening spiderwebs all conjure up a sense of magic, don’t you think?
This is another reason why cultivating a witchy garden is so easy and fun. You can let it be a little wild and rough around the edges. If something sprouts up and it’s not a safety or fire hazard, why not just let it grow? There are few things more legitimately witchy than co-creating with the forces of nature.
One of my least favorite chores as a child was pulling weeds. I didn’t get it. Why did this plant deserve to live less than the others around it? Granted, sometimes plants must be pruned to avoid taking over others. But oftentimes weeds produce beautiful foliage and flowers whimsically designed by nature itself.
The best part about allowing this natural process to happen is that you can peacefully watch a plant party evolve in your presence! When I moved into my current place about a year ago, the backyard was mostly just dirt. Growth has sprung up on its own over time, and I look forward to finding new developments every day!
All of the plants in this gallery sprung up on their own, zero human intervention:
Nasturtiums have sprouted up everywhere! 
They are edible, but I can’t bring myself to pluck them! Too cute! 
Flowers often pop up in threes! 
Sometimes clusters of flowers seem to pop up out of nowhere! 
These wildflowers wave to my air plants through my window! 
These look like little aliens to me. 
I watched this slowly spring out of the Earth and I still don’t believe it’s from this planet! 
I love watching plants trail up to my window! 
I believe these flowers sprout up when magic is present!
WITCHY GARDEN IDEA #4:
Grow healing plants!
A classic witchy garden staple is aloe vera. You can harvest leaves to use its soothing salve on your skin, and it looks beautiful!
I have also adopted a San Pedro cactus. (They are legal to grow for decoration, okay?) This beautiful cactus radiates a mysteriously magical energy of wisdom around it. Don’t take my word for it – look at the plant friends that spring up to surround it wherever I move it to! First leaves, then a fairy ring of flowers have surrounded it on multiple occasions!
WITCHY GARDEN IDEA #5:
Spend time connecting with your plants! The magic of having a witchy garden is the ability to BE in that garden. Simply taking time to observe your growing plant babies will reconnect you with the wonders of natural life. Watching your plants flourish and live their best lives will serve as a daily inspiration for you to do the same!
One more thing… Tell your plants you love them. Trust me on this one. Plants love encouragement! You will notice a difference, promise!
Thank you for touring this witch’s garden! Do you have a sanctuary of magical plant friends at home? I want to see! Tag me on Instagram at @californiawitchcraft and let’s start a garden witch coven!
I’ll leave you with the fabulous bird of paradise situation I was lucky enough to inherit when I moved in! Voila!
CALIFORNIA WITCHCRAFT 