ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what caring for plants means in a relational perspective. I argue that care, sometimes framed a virtue and often described as a virtue of gardening in particular, should rather be understood as a relational practice that demands specific virtues. Among the manifold ways of how people relate to plants, caring stands out as a practice that focusses on promoting a plant’s own good. The chapter provides a close analysis of the caring relation between persons and plants and highlights its evaluative and normative aspects that turn out to be closely linked to an aesthetic account of flourishing. It also explains how care can fail, and which virtues are required for good plants care.
