Whose feet are these? That's the person whose perspective matters.

Does your sister also have bunions?

All the women in my family for three generations have appalling bunions; at least four of them have had bunion surgery. I've managed to avoid that surgery up to now myself, but if I reach a pain point that can't be managed with orthotics and regular podiatrist visits, I'd go for it, too. The idea that my bunions might do better without orthotics is an idea I tried before, and ended up rejecting. Also rejected the toe spacers after the amount of pain they caused.

Best of luck with your recovery, your gardening, and (really) anything else that you could use some luck with.