much of gardening is a struggle against the fecundity of Nature.

Success and failure, triumph and disaster. That is the rhythm of life in the garden.

I welcome the autumnal chill in the air. There is a stimulation about it. Life moves to a different rhythm. There is a sense of change in the atmosphere and change is good inasmuch as it prevents stagnation. We should grow weary of a summer that never ended.

It has been said that the only reason for leaving England is to give yourself the pleasure of coming back to it.

Every noble achievement is a dream before it is a reality just as the oak is an acorn before it is a tree.

September is the month of maturity; the heaped basket and the garnered sheaf. It is the month of climax and completion. September! I never tire of turning it over and over in my mind. It has warmth, depth and colour. It glows like old amber.

gardening is something more than a pastime; it is a religion.