Nature-Based Spirituality Series: What Is a Garden Witch?
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There is no single definition of a garden witch. The term is often used interchangeably with green witch or hedge witch, though there are some distinct differences between the three.
At its core, a garden witch is someone whose spiritual practice centers around plants, gardening, seasonal cycles, and connection to the natural world. Rather than focusing on elaborate rituals or strict traditions, garden witchcraft is often rooted in everyday acts of care, observation, and intention.
For some people, that may look like tending herbs or planting according to the moon phases. For others, it may simply mean slowing down and developing a deeper relationship with nature.
What Does a Garden Witch Practice Look Like?
A garden witch’s spirituality can take many different forms. There is no “right” way to practice nature-based spirituality, and many people blend gardening, herbalism, folk traditions, mindfulness, and seasonal living into their own unique path.
A garden witch’s practice may include:
Gardening as a spiritual ritual
Growing herbs and flowers for magical or symbolic purposes
Cooking with intention using homegrown plants
Decorating altars with seasonal plants and natural objects
Nature journaling and observing seasonal changes
Creating sacred outdoor spaces for meditation or reflection
Honoring lunar cycles and seasonal festivals
For many practitioners, the garden itself becomes a place of healing, grounding, creativity, and connection.
Garden Witch vs. Green Witch vs. Hedge Witch
These terms are often used interchangeably, but there are some general differences between them.
Garden Witch
A garden witch typically focuses on cultivated outdoor spaces and gardening activities. Their spiritual practice may revolve around planting, harvesting, seasonal cycles, and connecting to nature in some way.
Green Witch
Green witchcraft is generally broader in scope. Along with gardening and plants, a green witch may incorporate:
Herbalism
Foraging
Natural remedies
Folk healing
Working closely with the elements and earth-based energies
The Green Witch’s Garden by Arin Murphy-Hiscock is an excellent book to check out if you want to learn more about starting your garden practice.
Hedge Witch
The term hedge witch comes from the idea of the “hedge” as a liminal boundary — a space between worlds. Hedge witches are often viewed as solitary practitioners who may incorporate:
Folk magic
Spirit work
Trance practices
Ancestor connection
Dreamwork or journeying
Working within liminal spaces
Many practitioners move fluidly between these labels, while others choose not to use labels at all.
Common Practices of a Garden Witch
Whether or not you identify yourself as a garden witch, there are many simple ways to incorporate nature-based spirituality into everyday life.
Working With Herbs
Herbs have long been associated with healing, protection, and spiritual symbolism across many cultures and traditions.
Some common herbal correspondences include:
Rosemary for protection
Basil for prosperity
Sage for cleansing and purification
Herbs may be grown for cooking, teas, rituals, spell work, or simply to deepen your connection to the natural world.
Moon Gardening
Following lunar cycles in gardening is an ancient agricultural practice that many modern garden witches continue today.
Examples of moon gardening include:
Planting during the new moon
Harvesting during the full moon
Using the waning moon for release rituals
Meditating outdoors beneath the moonlight
Moon phases can add intention, rhythm, and mindfulness to both gardening and spiritual practice.
Creating Sacred Outdoor Spaces
Many garden witches create spaces outdoors that feel calming, magical, or spiritually meaningful.
This could include:
A small garden altar
A fairy garden or fairy house
A pollinator garden
Wind chimes or natural decorations
Plants connected to ancestors or loved ones
A quiet meditation corner
Sacred spaces do not need to be elaborate. Even a single potted plant on a windowsill can become part of a meaningful spiritual practice.
Bringing Garden Magic Into the Kitchen
Garden witchcraft is not limited to outdoor spaces. In fact, many practices can easily be brought indoors, especially during colder seasons.
A garden witch may:
Make herbal teas
Create infused oils
Dry herbs and flowers
Cook with seasonal vegetables
Practice mindful cooking with intention and gratitude
Kitchen rituals can become a simple but powerful extension of a nature-based spiritual practice.
How to Start Your Own Garden Witch Practice
You do not need a large garden, expensive tools, or formal spiritual training to begin.
Start small and focus on consistency rather than perfection.
Simple Ways to Begin
Grow herbs on a windowsill
Start a container garden on a porch or balcony
Plant a small flower bed or patch of wildflowers
Learn about local plants and folklore
Visit parks or nature trails regularly
Keep a seasonal nature journal
Observe how the seasons affect your mood and routines
During winter months, you might focus more on:
Reading about herbalism
Studying plant folklore
Drying herbs
Planning next year’s garden
Reflecting through journaling and seasonal rituals
Nature-based spirituality grows slowly over time through repeated, intentional actions.
Misconceptions About Nature-Based Spirituality
There are many misconceptions surrounding garden witchcraft and nature-based spirituality.
You do not need to:
Identify as Wiccan, Pagan, or a witch
Follow elaborate rituals
Own a large garden
Buy expensive spiritual tools
Practice perfectly
At its heart, spirituality is often about mindfulness, connection, and intention.
Simple actions can become sacred practices:
Watering plants mindfully
Composting as part of the cycle of life
Cooking with gratitude
Observing seasonal changes
Spending time outdoors without distraction
I find as someone who prefers solitude over crowds that my spiritual practices are usually built through small, consistent habits rather than dramatic rituals.
You do not need to follow a strict path or label yourself anything at all. Nature-based spirituality can be as simple as paying attention to the world around you and finding meaning in the changing seasons.
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Following Along With Nature
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Over the years I’ve come to notice that certain moments act as markers of the seasons. The first purple crocus reminds me it’s time to begin spring cleaning, and I find myself naturally decluttering after the dormancy of winter. When the first leaves appear on the trees at the very end of April, I shift outdoors and start tidying the yard. The first dandelions mean it’s time to pull out my sandals. And when the lilacs bloom at the end of May, I finally tuck away my heavy sweaters for the season.
By mid-July, when buttercups start dotting the fields and roadsides, I’m reminded that summer is already more than halfway through—and if I haven’t yet, it’s time to get to the beach and soak in some of those simple summer pleasures.
Not all of my seasonal reminders come from the garden. In late August, when bags of McIntosh apples start appearing on sale, I know cooler weather is just around the corner. That’s my cue to bring the sweaters back out and pack away my sandals and sundresses. In late September I’ll notice the shadows in my kitchen are falling a little earlier in the day, reminding me that winter is just around the corner and I need to get my wood stacked before snowfall. In mid January, when the sunlight begins to linger in the afternoon, I know we’ve begun the uphill climb back to summer.
Most of these moments happen quietly, almost without thought—they’ve simply become part of the rhythm of my life. But this year, after finishing nursing school and feeling disconnected from so much of my life and nature, I need a better sense of grounding and connection. So I’ve decided to begin tracking the little moments that mark the changing seasons. I think this will be interesting to compare from year to year, as well as a way for me to practice staying present. Intentionally focusing on the world around me is something I feel I need even more now, after working busy 12 hour shifts.
There are dozens of seasonal markers I could name—little cues that prompt action, bring comfort, or signal that something new is on the way. If this is something you’d like to try in your own life, I’ve written a full post about starting a nature journal.
I would love to know what kind of seasonal markers you have in your corner of the world.
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How to Create a Nature Journal
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Taking time to observe nature throughout the year is a simple way to reconnect—with the earth, with your thoughts, and with yourself. A nature journal is just a place to notice what’s happening around you. Creating your own nature journal doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it works best when it’s not.
What to Observe
Nature observation can be as broad or as specific as you want. You might pay attention to:
Plants
Birds
Bees and other insects
Trees
The changing sky
Sunlight - how it changes throughout the day or season
Or you might choose one thing to follow over time—a single tree in your yard, a patch of wildflowers, or even just the way the light hits your porch each morning.
There’s no right way to do this.
How to Record What You Notice
Use all of your senses when you’re outside:
What do you see?
What do you hear?
What do you feel (temperature, wind, texture)?
What do you smell?
What do you taste(only if you’re absolutely sure it’s safe)
You can:
Sketch what you see
Write a few sentences
Make a list
Track patterns over time
If you want to go deeper, bring tools like binoculars or a magnifying glass. When you slow down and look closely, you start to notice things you would normally miss—the veins in a leaf, the texture of tree bark, or the subtle color shifts in a single flower petal.
A Simple Example to Try
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved dandelions. They were always the first flower to bloom around my elementary school and it meant two things: spring was finally here and school was almost out for the summer. As a kid, I would pick the dandelion and bring it home - only to find it wilted and sad at the bottom of my backpack. As an adult I’ve learned the best way to enjoy a dandelion is to leave them be and watch them grow.
I still find dandelions just as enchanting and sign that summer is right around the corner. When I look at them I notice:
Low green leaves spreading across the ground
Bright yellow blooms opening toward the sun
The transformation into those soft, wispy seed heads
and finally watching the breeze turn the flower into wishes
Watching that full cycle play out gives a surprisingly clear sense of time passing. I know when the dandelions are finished blooming, that lilacs will be next, and then the roses, and so on and on. I mark seasons by what I see in bloom just as much as with a calendar or planner.
Track the Seasons in Real Time
Your journal can also be a place to track:
Daily weather
Temperature changes
First signs of seasonal shifts
If you like a bit of structure, you might try a phenology wheel—a circular way of tracking changes in nature over time.
Nature journaling isn’t really about journaling. It’s about paying attention.
It’s a way to:
Quiet a busy mind by focusing on something tangible
Get outside and support your physical and mental health
Build a deeper sense of connection to the natural world
Notice the things we usually take for granted—clean air, clean soil, healthy trees, and seasonal rhythms
Over time, it also builds a kind of quiet compassion for the earth. Observing nature from a young age has instilled me an awareness of the impact we have on the earth. I am by no means perfect when it comes to enviornmentalism or sustainability, but I do strive to do my best to be a good steward of the natural resources around me.
Inspiration for Everyday Life
Nature journaling naturally feeds into other parts of your life.
It can inspire:
Seasonal or Wheel of the Year celebrations
Creative projects
Writing, art, or photography
There’s a reason landscapes have been painted, written about, and studied for centuries. There’s always something new to notice.
Let It Be Imperfect
This part matters.
The goal is not to create something beautiful or impressive.
It’s just for you.
You don’t need to:
Journal every day
Fill every page
Make it look aesthetic
Do it when you can. Skip it when you can’t.
If you tend to get hung up on consistency (I do too), this is your reminder that it still “counts” even if it’s occasional. I practice nature journaling often in my weekly letters to readers. I describe virtually the same scene over and over - the view from my back porch that stretches across a river valley. Every time I write about this, I see something different or new.
My Instagram is kind of like a makeshift nature journal - if you look at all my photos, you’ll see that 90% of them are of nature, often repeating the same scene or subject in different seasons.
Start Simple
All you really need is:
A notebook
Something to write or draw with
A few minutes outside
That’s it.
Everything else builds from there.
If you would like help getting started, I’ve created a free Nature Journaling worksheet. Happy journaling!
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