The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. Anne Frank
To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.
Helen Keller
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.
- Cicero
“Happiness is a butterfly, which pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint,
and the soil and sky as canvas.
- Elizabeth Murray
“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.”
Jane Austin
What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have found, through years of practice, that people garden in order to make
something grow; to interact with nature; to share, to find sanctuary, to heal,
to honor the earth, to leave a mark. Through gardening, we feel whole
as we make our personal work of art upon our land.
- Julie Moir Messervy, The Inward Garden, 1995, p.19
Stratford House Main Entrance with Mt. Vernon's Steeple in the background.
There is nothing pleasanter than spading when the ground is soft and damp. John Steinback
What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.
Joseph Addison