Your Garden Is More Than Plants: Why Systems Thinking Matters Now
Hello gardeners, and Happy New Year!
Thank you for joining me as I explore how we can reduce the environmental footprint of our gardens. Many experienced gardeners are already thinking more holistically than they realize. We enrich soil by protecting microorganisms, we use and store water more intentionally, and we’re increasingly aware of how broader environmental forces shape what happens in our gardens.
We add layers to provide shade and habitat. We notice the effects of prolonged drought, extreme rain, or lingering wildfire smoke. And whether we realize it or not, many of us are stepping into a deeper role as stewards of the living systems in our backyards.
As climate change continues to challenge traditional gardening practices, I invite you to consider decisions that go beyond plant selection alone. In horticulture and ecology, this broader perspective is often described as systems thinking. While it is a term used in academic and professional contexts, its principles are applicable to residential gardens.
Photo credit: iStock
what is systems thinking in the garden?
Systems thinking starts with relationships.
Rather than seeing the garden as a collection of individual elements, we must begin to notice how energy, materials, and influence move through the whole. A garden is not just plants. It is a living system made up of:
plants
soil biology
fungi
insects
birds and mammals
water movement
microclimates
gardeners
outside inputs
climate and environmental pressures
why cause and effect are not linear in garden systems
In natural systems, cause and effect are rarely linear. When you add fertilizer, you don’t just feed a plant. You alter microbial communities, nutrient cycling, water retention, pests, and long-term soil structure. One decision ripples outward, often in ways we don’t immediately see.
This is where our questions as gardeners begin to change.
Where does water enter the garden, and where does it leave?
Which organisms are supported? Which are excluded?
How do our materials, habits, and maintenance choices influence the garden system over time?
Photo by: J. Topham
from garden management to stewardship
Shifting away from a mindset of “What should I add?” toward asking “What does this garden need?” is a subtle but powerful change. It moves us from management toward stewardship, and from short-term solutions toward long-term climate resilience.
Good gardeners don’t manage gardens. They tend relationships within living systems.
It may not sound romantic, but in a changing climate, this is the work we are being asked to grow into.