My very all time favorite serious gardening quote is the last paragraph of Sydney Eddison's 'A Patchwork Garden'.

"Being a gardener means being part scientist and part artist. It means being as strong as an ox and as tough as old boots. It means being
impervious to insect bites, rain, sleet, snow, heat, sunburn, and sunstroke. It means reading and learning, lifting and digging. It means
knowing what you want to achieve and why. It means being nimble-fingered enough to prick out seedlings and heavy-handed enough to break rocks with a sledgehammer. It means blood, sweat, and tears. And it means ecstasy."

To me, it says it all!
But then there are the fun ones too, bet Nicola can enlighten us there!!!

I like the last line from Robert Frost's poem about finding a garden hoe.

... The first tool I step on
Turned into a weapon.

This one is for Carolyn:-)

Graves in my Garden

One day, in early Spring,
I placed a special order
For very special seeds
For a very special border;
Then wrote a label, with great care,
To tell me what the flowers were.

A month or two went by;
I saw, with consternation
That not a single seed
Had arrived at germination,
And so the label I had penned
Became a tombstone, in the end.

Holy Guacamole, Nicola!! I don't really have "that" much trouble with them. However, something similar did happen once. I got carried away with the corn gluten meal, not realizing it prevented seeds from growing, and had mixed it in with all sorts of compost and stuff in my front border before I planted a bunch of flower seeds. All I can say is that corn gluten meal really works, because not a single seed turned into a plant.

And Larry, I think we can all relate to your contribution.

I'd never seen that darling poem before Nicola, but have actually called those dead plant markers 'tombstones' myself!!!

Can't put my hand on a source right now, but was it Kipling who wrote one that ended something like...

'...For gardens are not made
by sitting in the shade
and simply saying,
'Oh, what a beautiful garden!'

Not really poetry or a quote but this saying is from the days when children went out to work at a very young age and young boys worked in gardens.

A boy is just a boy,
two boys are only half a boy,
and three boys is no boy at all!

I see exactly what that means!!!
Two will piddle around twice as much as one and three,,, 3 times as much!

Here's one from a home-grown Ft. Worth boy, Will Rodgers.
"What this country needs is more dirty fingernails."
I'll vote for that!

This was sent to me today presumably from the Grandview Garden Club Handbook. Author unknown (to me anyway).

MY WIFE THE GARDNER

She dug the plot on Monday,
the soil was rich and fine.
She forgot to thaw out dinner,
so we went out to dine.

She planted roses on Tuesday,
she says they are a must.
They really are quite lovely,
but she forgot to dust.

On Wednesday it was daisies,
they opened with the sun.
All whites and pinks and yellows,
but the laundry wasn't done!

The poppies came on Thursday,
a bright and cheery red,
I guess she really was engrossed,
but never made the bed.

It was dahlias on Friday,
in colors she adores.
It never bothered her at all,
all the crumbs upon the floor.

I hired a maid on Saturday,
my week was now complete.
My wife can garden all she wants,
the house will still be neat!

It's nearly lunchtime Sunday
and I can't find the maid.
Oh no! I don't believe it!
She's out there with a spade!


Wonder how many spouses of avid/rabid gardeners can relate to this?

Love it! I must say I have a very patient husband who often takes me into town to get dinner when I'm too tired to cook because I lost track of time while in the garden. He's also great at overlooking all the dust and dirt, and will even wear a pair of socks twice so I can plant one more plant! instead of doing laundry.

Spouses that don't nurture a gardener that well, probably don't last very long either :-0 My kudos to yer hubby MK!

Larry says someone wrote it for him ! I have been known to con any house helper into coming an extra day to help me with my outside dirt instead of the inside dirt !

All things are not quite so bright and beautiful.

All things spray and swattable
Disasters great and small
All things paraquatable
The Lord God made them all

The fungus on the goose-gogs, the club root in the greens,
The slugs that eat the lettuces and chew the aubergines.
Chorus…

The drought that kills the Fuchsias, the frost that nips the bud,
The rain that drowns the seedlings – the blight that hits the spuds.
Chorus…

The midges and mosquitoes, the nettles and the weeds,
The pigeons in the green stuff, the sparrow in the seeds.
Chorus

The fly that gets the carrots, the wasps that eat the plums,
How black the gardeners outlook – though green may be his thumbs.
Chorus…

But still we gardeners labour, midst vegetables and flowers,
And pray what hits our neighbours – will somehow bypass ours!

That's cute, Nicola. I suppose we can all relate to that one.

A garden is as beautiful as the mind at peace and in tranquility will allow.

~duckweed~2001

O.K. now that everyone is all mushey and warm on the inside....My turn....IF YOU DON'T WATER IT .....IT WILL DIE....This is the first thing I leaned when I was just a little fellow.....
I guess everyone thought I was never going to post on here again???? I AM BBBACKKKK!!!!!!

Another male voice crying out in the wildness.

Funny how you can always spot the errors just as you hit that post button. "wilderness"
Good to have you back David.

And both of you think we are still on the page with the eco guy ... Which means you missed my long winded effort and a purdy pic. :-0

I have not had alot of time to post....I have our Garden Show coming up,the plant sale and door prizes!!! Man, I'm already tired!! Anyway I will have more time to post after June 2....or will I be taking a Vacation?? Anyway I will try and get back to this forum as often as possible!!

Tempt us... go on, tell us what goodies you've been cooking up. I know you will have some very special delectables!
Can you tell I missed dinner tonight? ;-)

Lets see a quick list:
Variegated Soloman Seal
Pretoria Canna
Tropicanna Canna
Pink Sunburst Canna
Stuggart Canna (if they come up that way)
Kansas City Canna
Tovara Painter's Pallette
Oxalis white blooming
Oxalis pink blooming
Oxalis purple leaf
Oxalis Variegated
Hechura purple palace
Chocolate plant
Philippine violet
Criunm lily
Caladiums (all kinds)
Gingers
Tri-colored Corn
Persian Shield
Variegated Cast Iron
Green Cast Iron
Cashmere bouquet
Hardy Begonia
Chinese Rice Paper plant
Garden Phlox
Mexican Heather
Pink 4 O'clocks
Turk's Cap
and MORE but I am tried of typing!!

Put me down for one chocolate plant, I will try to keep it warm this time. The variegated Aspidistra is another must, already have the plain one, they really are grow anywhere plants, but not outside in England.
Hope the show and sale go well David.

I'm making my list! and both of your choices are on it too Ter. I have yet to see the choc plant, but David's been telling me about it for 2 yrs. Now I will get to have a go at it Save me the choicest one ;-) And there I had to go and mail order that vari Solomans seal last yr! It's a beaut - bet those are larger than my little 1 yr old starts. Lotsa stuff I'm needin' ..See ya there..

The Cosmos is great Maggie and it really does smell of chocolate.

For 2 years now, David has been saying "Noooo, not the chocolate cosmos" and then I say okay,,, 'the choc daisy Berlandiera lyrata that I love so much.

Then he says 'noooo, the chocolate plant' !
I once found its Latin in one of my books, but no pic and now can't remember which book listed its common name in the index that led me to the Latin ! :0}

Well,well,well....I will have Chocolate Plant as in tropical brown foliage thingy and yes...I will have three of the Chocolate Cosmos!!! I guess I have covered all my bases???
I did an article on the Chocolate Plant on the AOGC web-site...It has been a few months ago....
www.aogc.org

I knew that ;-)
Here's the pic and Latin I lifted from it, teehee
Pseuderanthemum alatum

Good arguement for retaining the latin...does knowing the plant names count as having a second language?

It might if I could pronounce or spell them right every time, Terry! ;-)

The following is really Nicola's fault for opening this thread, which always puts us in danger of once again being subjected to one of my spontaneous dittys.

What began as garden chants
And jolly lines of cheer,
Has turned into a plant topic,
As is always the custom here.

We can’t help it,
For its plants on the brain
That keeps us all happy and sane,
Even when, just playing the name game.

Chocolate Plant is what David grows,
But Terry thinks he means choco Cosmos.
Then I chime in with a whine
To bait David's rescue this time.

For the Chocolate Plant has been deemed Pseuderanthemum alatum,
The Chocolate Cosmos is C. atrosanguineus
And Chocolate Daisy, Berlandiera lyrata
In hort books done with Latin genius.

The daisy and cosmos earn their Theobroma nicknames
From the blooms’ mouth watering fragrance.
But not so your Pseuderanthemum alatum David;
It doesn’t smell like any choco-decadence.

Know why?

Just to stick my oar in here chaps you might be interested to know that I grow the Chocolate Vine - true name Akebia quinata.
It has been stunning this year, the flowers are a dark claret colour and it does not smell of chockie at all so I, not sure how it got it's common name.
I don't know about using Latin names counting as a second language Terry, I'd like to think it does as I am rubbish at languages. But, it does tend to stop confusion over which plant you are talking about. The Latin often gives a clue as to the colour, habit or shape of the plant as well. As for the pronunciation, who cares, it's the same plant whether you pronounce it correctly or not.

And see Maggie, you can't get away with blaming me for stuff as I do still drop in sometimes!!

Reeled her in good , huh ?!

Of course you're no good at languages Nicola, you're English and we have a reputation for being no good at languages, well deserved in my case also.

David and Angie,,,
Here's the AOGC plant listing, above.

Our dear Lady Jane sent this tonight - wonderful!

"The Garden is the emotional, spiritual and
intellectual laboratory of the mind."
Fernando Caruncho

This sent to me by James Slay. Thanks James, it sure hits home on this forum :-)

Gardening in Our Blood
By Jean Little

When autumn time arrived last year,
I said, "I've really had it, dear!
I've raked and hoed and picked and canned;
Just see that callus on my hand!
You know what I've been thinking, dear?
Let's let our garden go next year.
We'll buy all those things in the store -
They wouldn't cost us too much more.
When summer comes I'll sleep till ten,
Get up and clean the house, and then
I'll make a glass of lemonade
and go and sit beneath the shade.
When you come home at night from work,
I'll put the coffee on to perk,
Then we'll sit down and talk or read
And never think of garden seed."
Remember how you smiled and said,
"I think you've really used your head
To save us all this work next year.
I'm sick of gardening, too, my dear."

But then one day, the sky was blue,
The sun was warm, the tulips grew.
The April days grew long and free,
The ground lay waiting patiently.
The sleeping grass awoke to green,
And then in every magazine
Were ads for bulbs and plants and seeds -
In fact, for all your gardening needs.
One day you picked me up downtown.
With bundles I was loaded down.
No need to try and hide the facts
With "Burpee Seeds" stamped on the sacks.
Remember how your face got red
And how you turned away and said,
"When we've unloaded all that junk,
I have a few things in the trunk.
I'll need some help, for it is hot
And seed potatoes weigh a lot."

So now we stand here, hand in hand
And gaze at our productive land.
The berry beds are weeded clean,
The vegetables are tall and green.
We love our land in drought or mud,
For we have gardening in our blood.

Very very good.

Sounds just like all of us!