Rage Gardening: Why It’s All the Rage

It’s tough to be that amicable sidekick, always annoyingly cheerful even in the darkest of times. It’s easy to be angry. In fact, it’s easy to be so angry that you transform into Anzu, the Sumerian demon of rage and insanity (which may be an exaggeration, but an apt one nonetheless). In a world where there is so much wrong, seemingly one matchstick away from explosion, it can be helpful to divert your mind away from such troubling matters. Instead of using a shovel to strike someone in the face, channel that rage into something purposeful – like rage gardening. 

What is the Concept of Rage Gardening?   

Resentment, frustration, and hatred can accumulate over time, leading to debilitating effects on the human body. Finding constructive ways to deal with these negative emotions that don’t involve going to the gym and ‘talking it out’ is hard. 

Rage gardening is exactly what it sounds like: dealing with your rage by slashing at weeds, pummeling dirt clods, and blasting your water house. It can be a great stress-reliever that’s both mindful and productive, and while an ice cream bar is great, it might not be the healthiest choice. 

Does Rage Gardening Actually Work?   

If you’re one of those people who get irritated after a workout, then you’ll probably already feel the fumes blowing when people mention exercise as a way to relieve anger. After all, exercise seems counterproductive when it’s already viewed as drudgery – wholly unglamorous and unappealing.

While gardening isn’t exactly the go-to activity of the rich and famous, it’s a hobby that can be relaxing and fun with the right tools, like a hori hori knife. Gardening offers many therapeutic benefits, including facilitating healing, promoting cognitive function, and alleviating negative emotions. Gardening can be a cathartic process for you to deal with your emotions without hurting yourself or others. In the process, you’ll also gain fresh produce and ingredients for your dishes.  

Unlike other more blatant forms of exercise, gardening nurtures the soul, allowing you to be in contact with nature without the threat of thorny thistles or predatory crocodiles lurking in swamps, which you might encounter on aggressive hikes. 

What Plants Should You Grow in a Rage Garden?    

When considering plants to grow, it’s prudent to consider plants that are colorful, easy to grow, and low-maintenance. Marigolds, herbs, and tomatoes are recommended, as they’re hardy plants that can withstand various stressors.  

Alternatively, you might want to consider vining flowers such as roses or morning glories that require trellises to grow. These require more effort in the garden, allowing adequate time for you to release any harmful emotions. For more aggressive herbs like mints, using raised garden beds can help contain their spread effectively. 

 

How to Get Started on Rage Gardening

1. Attack the Weeds with a Sharpened Blade 

Recreational shooters and boxers are often told to envision the inanimate target in front of them as the enemy. The same concept works with rage gardening. Attack the weeds first, viewing them as targets for your rage. Gradually, you’ll feel the stress and anger melt away as weeds and dead plants are hacked apart, leaving the garden neat and orderly. To facilitate the process, tackle stubborn weed balls with a hori hori knife, which proves to be extra-satisfactory against weeds wedged deep into the compacted earth. 

 

2. Tailor Your Garden to Your Personality 

Inject fun into your garden by centering it around themes that reflect your personality. Consider a goth garden, with its haunting and beautiful aesthetic, a cottage garden bursting with frilly, lacey flowers, or a perennial garden where resilient natives bloom in profusion. Foraging for hardscape for your garden can be an enjoyable activity that takes you to new towns, while curating various plants encourages you to sit down and reflect. All this helps alleviate rage and other incendiary emotions, promoting a more conscientious lifestyle. 

3. Take Care of Neglected Tasks    

Take advantage of the burst of energy spurred by rage to tackle gardening tasks that you would otherwise not do: raking dead leaves, tearing down old branches, and deadheading spent flowers. Conversely, don’t let your anger take advantage of you – this can inadvertently cause destruction to your garden beds. The next time you want to take out our frustration on others, grab a pair of pruners and head down to the garden, where there are plenty of insolent weeds awaiting pruning. 

4. Find Satisfaction in Watering     

Turn watering into a rewarding task instead of an item to check off. Take the time to really let it all soak in; allow the cool water to percolate into the earth as you engage in your senses. With various innovative watering tools, such as an oscillating sprinkler, a retractable hose, and a 9-pattern spray nozzle, watering is made easy – and meditative.

5. Turn to Guerilla Gardening 

If you’re feeling intrepid, you can delve into the history behind guerilla gardening: an attempt at reclaiming urban spaces and transforming them into something beautiful. It doesn’t even have to be in the big city – places like neglected lots around your neighborhood and national parks can also benefit from a makeover, as long as the seed bombs aren’t carrying invasive species. While the legality behind guerilla gardening is murky and the consequences are few, it’s better to ask for permission from the city government. Guerilla gardening can also extend to removing invasive species from the land. Girdling and herbicide are recommended means to help exterminate invasive trees and other noxious species.