Every year, the month of May brings an almost instinctive call to clean up, rearrange and reinvent the space around us. So often, that looks like shifting furniture around inside or paring down closets, as worn-out coats get tossed aside in favor of lighter layers. However, our outside world could also use a bit of sprucing up at times, don’t you think?

May is the perfect month to rethink an approach to outdoor spaces, to garden with wildlife in mind, to create space for pollinators that keep the world’s plants thriving, and native plants to support symbiotic relationships.

Besides helping to support a sustainable habitat, the concept of symbiotic relationships is a powerful idea. That plants and animals rely on each other is ancient proof of how we are all connected on this great planet. There is a graceful balance to be found between self and earth, and I love knowing I’m part of that circle. Each time I water a plant I am building into the region and my local habitat, rather than taking away from it.

Try this: imagine the wall between your home and garden does not exist. How would you extend the presence of your indoor space into the world outside, respectfully? Are you organized, compatible with a formal garden, or more eclectic and likely to find joy in the rambling nature of climbing vines?

Whether you live in a small apartment with merely enough space for a window box or on acreage that extends deep into the horizon, reflect on how that same space exists for plants, animals and you. Recognizing and building into that symbiotic relationship, figuring out how we fit into the natural world, is powerful and best explored in a quiet moment of solitude.

Whether you do some deep soul diving into your outdoor space, or simply enjoy sniffing the roses along the way, I hope you enjoy your May in the garden, my friend. Best wishes to you!