The Gardener Says: Quotes, Quips, and Words of Wisdom

Assembling quotes from a wide variety of gardeners, including writers, philosophers, and former First Lady Michelle Obama, Pick’s anthology provides a light reading experience that can be started on any page at any time. Some quotes are short and sweet, like Thoreau’s “I have great faith in a seed,” and C.Z. Guest’s “Without flowers, I’d find life very dismal.” Others are more thought-provoking, such as Beverly Nichols’s quip that the flowers in her garden “are in their present places because they have personally informed me, in the clearest possible tones, that this is where they wish to be.” The quotes speak to the patience required of a gardener, to the beauty of planting and nourishing a living thing, and to the healing, soothing qualities a garden delivers to its caretaker. “Earth has no sorrow that earth cannot heal,” states John Muir, while Mahatma Gandhi reflects that “to forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” Filled with humor, reflection, and a love of plants and planting, this breezy collection may just remind horticulturalists why they seek and find solace in their gardens. (Feb.)