Zero Fucks Gardening

What my garden taught me about growing wild and gorgeous

Feral Friday took me to my back garden today, where I attempted to have conversations with squirrels and marveled at plants that give absolutely zero fucks about gardening rules. Turns out, both the squirrels and the plants have a lot to teach us about living authentically.

The Art of Talking to Squirrels

I say hello to squirrels - it's my way of connecting with the intelligence around us. Today I actually did it on camera: "Hello, squirrels! Good afternoon!"

They didn't answer (they were probably having lunch or judging my life choices). When I acknowledge them, I'm joining a conversation that's been happening long before I arrived and will continue long after I leave.

People think it's weird to talk to animals, to thank trees, to acknowledge the aliveness of everything around us. But nature doesn't judge my weirdness - it just exists alongside it, which is more than I can say for most humans.

My Garden's Philosophy: Zero Fucks Given

Speaking of not caring what others think, let me tell you about my garden's approach to life. This space gives absolutely zero fucks about gardening rules, and it's thriving because of it.

There's a beautiful "weed" growing exactly where it's not supposed to. Garden magazines would call it unwanted; I call it determined. There are flowers blooming in the wrong season, loving life and ignoring the calendar. English ivy is climbing where I never planted it, creating its own path and its own design.

Every single plant is doing its own thing, regardless of my original "plan" or society's definition of what a proper garden should look like.

The Underground Network

Random fact that blew my mind: Plants can communicate through underground networks. They share nutrients, warn each other about threats, and support struggling neighbors. They're having conversations we can't hear - entire social networks happening beneath our feet.

Maybe when I talk to my plants, I'm just joining a conversation that's already happening. Maybe acknowledging the crows is participating in an ancient dialogue between species. Maybe what we call "weird" is just being awake to connections that have always existed.

What Gardens Know About Growth

My garden has taught me something profound about authentic living: when you stop trying to control everything, magic happens. When plants are allowed to grow wild, they find their own perfect places. They adapt, they thrive, they create beauty in ways no human could have designed.

We're told to follow rules, stay in neat rows, bloom on schedule. But look what happens when you just... don't. Look what happens when you trust your own growth pattern instead of following someone else's blueprint.

The Rebellion of Authentic Growth

This is why I love Feral Friday—it's about embracing the parts of ourselves that don't fit into neat categories—the parts that want to talk to squirrels, let weeds grow, and find magic in ordinary moments.

Grow where you want, how you want, when you want. Talk to crows if that feeds your soul. Bloom out of season if that's when you're ready. Let your weird flag fly because authentic is always more beautiful than perfect.

The Conversation Continues

Crumpled Ink Day 12, June 20th, 2025: Today, I choose to grow wild and talk to squirrels.

My rat-shaped fluffy friends may not have answered today, but they heard me. The plants continue their underground conversations, whether I understand them or not. And I continue to grow in directions that make sense to me, even if they don't make sense to anyone else.

What Will You Let Grow Wild?

My garden gives zero fucks about rules and it's gorgeous. It's teaching me that the most beautiful growth happens when we stop apologizing for taking up space, for growing in unexpected directions, for blooming when we're ready instead of when we're supposed to.

What wild thing will you let grow in your life? What conversation will you join that others might think is weird? What rules will you ignore in favor of your own authentic growth pattern?

The squirrels are listening. The plants are communicating. The garden is showing us how to thrive without permission.

Maybe it's time we started paying attention.

Feral Friday: Where weird is wonderful and wild growth is the goal.