This is an adorable game. I can see myself returning to it for a bit of relaxation in the future. Was Viridi by any chance an inspiration?
The pixel art is wonderfully done. I had fun trying out different arrangements of plants. The music is also very relaxing, but the loop could bit a bit longer so it doesn't get stale as quickly. The sound effects are nice, but in my opinion the "cut" and "compost" sounds are too loud relative to everything else.
I like the idea connecting to the "Failure is Progress" theme, but gameplay-wise it falls short. I think it would be more effective if you had to take care of the plants by watering them, but could choose to let them die in order to get nutrients. However, if you implemented this I would like an option to enter a sandbox mode so I can place my plants freely without worrying about them :)
I like that I can see the space taken up by each plant when I'm about to put a new one close to it!
You have a nice start with the visuals, variety of plants, and basic mechanics. With a few upgrades to the systems I could play it for much longer :)