A Year in the Garden: Growth, Reflection, and Looking Ahead
- London Town
- Dec 17, 2025
- 2 min read
by Justin Schmitz, Director of Horticulture
As the year winds down to its close, I am compelled to look back at the past 12 months at London Town and consider all I have learned and accomplished here. Starting work here in January 2025 gave me an excellent opportunity to align my own growth and progress with the seasons, and I find myself being especially contemplative as we approach the new year.
12 months in a garden is a long time. Plants double in size, throw roots deep into the earth, flower, fruit, and thrive. Seeds from years past germinate whether we are ready for them to or not, and often hard decisions have to be made on if they are valuable to the site or not. Each day, beds are scrutinized, carved out, and seedlings culled to make space for the already established plant material.
Sometimes, however, a seedling germinates in just the right place, and we can observe its growth over several months before we decide its fate. These opportunities at growth mimic our own, and I find myself turning the idea over in my mind. We are constantly bombarded with input, from the commute that starts many of our days, to the decisions we make at work, to social media telling us what to like and dislike. Like the seedlings in the garden, we have constant decisions to make on what to cull and what to cultivate.
As we go into the new year, I encourage everyone one of you to look inwardly, see what you’re allowing to grow. In 2025, what has taken root in your mind? What ideas, principles, successes and failures have you nurtured and allowed to establish in your heart? What do you hold close and give your attention to? Like the plants in your garden, what are you giving yourself to?
With 2025 coming to a close, and my first year at London Town with it, I look back and see progress, missed marks, projects for the future. I am personally humbled and grateful for my time here, and I hope in your own reflections you can find successes, areas to improve, and opportunities for growth in 2026.
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He compares the careful culling and nurturing of plants to the choices we make in life—what to cultivate in our minds and hearts, and what to let go. Looking back on 2025, he sees both accomplishments and lessons learned, encouraging readers to reflect on their own growth. As the year ends, he emphasizes gratitude, self-awareness, and preparing to nurture new opportunities in 2026.