go to seed
Let yourself deteriorate
Go to seed describes plants that have flowered and produced seeds, passing their peak.
A garden that has gone to seed looks overgrown and neglected.
The phrase extends to people and things that have declined from former quality or vitality: He's really gone to seed since retirement.
The suggestion is of neglect leading to deterioration—something once cultivated now allowed to run wild.
Grow worse over time
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- witherDry and decay
- fadeLose intensity gradually
- crumbleFragment gradually
dilapidate · degenerate · atrophy · wane · disintegrate · rot · spoil · decline
Excessively covered in vegetation
- unkemptUntidy in appearance
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
- shabbyWorn and neglected
- disheveledUntidy in appearance
dilapidation · disrepair · weedy · untended · ramshackle · rundown · forgotten · abandoned
deteriorate
Grow worse over time
crumble · dilapidate · degenerate · atrophy · wane · disintegrate · rot · spoil · decline · downfall
overgrown
Excessively covered in vegetation
disheveled · dilapidation · disrepair · weedy · untended · ramshackle · rundown · forgotten · abandoned · wasteland
germination
Seed's initial growth phase
flowering · pollination · propagation · sowing · heirloom · annuals · biennials · lettuce · cilantro · arugula
faded
Lost original color
weathered · grizzled · careworn · world-weary · spent · exhausted · diminished · washed-up