I know of no common interest that exceeds gardening as a source of lifelong friendships, nor as a means of making new friends almost constantly.

I cannot walk into our garden without constantly being reminded of the friends who have shared their plants.

Plants are the original chemists. Their sophistication makes DuPont and Monsanto look like little kids with chemistry sets.

We quickly discovered that two kittens were much more fun than one.

Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII of France, had such an aversion to roses that she could not stand seeing one even in a painting.

I suppose that for most people one of the darker joys of gardening is that once you've got started it's not at all hard to find someone who knows a little bit less than you.

A powerful hand lens [Eschenback Leutchlupe] with a focused beam of light opens up an entire world below the threshold of the ordinary experience of seeing.