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

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

....the ancient ritual of the earth; ploughing and planting, reaping and threshing. The fundamental business remains unaltered; it is only the methods and tools that science is changing.

This is the divine moment when we can hold the fairest blossom of spring in one hand and the sweetest flowers of early summer in the other.

in February there is everything to hope for and nothing to regret.

Few would dispute with the rose her claim to be the queen of flowers, for where is her equal to be found? Is she not God’s masterpiece?

New words are always being born and old ones fading away.