Chaos gardening—just the term alone is provocative. It’s borderline an oxymoron; gardening is all about cultivating, tending and curating a selection of plants. It requires effort and discernment, and a certain degree of planning, right? Where does the ‘chaos’ come into play, and how could it possibly create something other than a gnarled mass of weeds?

As I saw the TikTok trend take off, I quickly dismissed it for those very reasons. The idea of chaos gardening—that you randomly scatter an array of seeds, provide minimal care and see what emerges—seemed as questionable to me as shoving garlic up your nose to relieve congestion (an actual thing, thanks #sinustok).

But should I dismiss something just because it seems too good to be true? And also, I’ll level with you: I’m lazy. All of the rules associated with gardening intimidated me—from whether companion planting actually helps your hydrangeas or lavender thrive to even things as basic as how often to water said plants—so much that I avoided the hobby.

Still, I was curious. What if chaos gardening really works? What if there really is a low-maintenance, no-overthinking way to grow a garden—that actually looks aesthetically pleasing?

I had to find out, so I turned to an expert for insights.

Gardening Made Me a Better Parent

The Best Places to Shop for Seeds and Garden Plants, Vetted by a Gardening Expert