Gertrude Jekyll

“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.”

“What is one's own, even if it is a small garden, is a constant source of pleasure.”

“I hold that the best purpose of a garden is to give delight and to refresh the eye and the spirit.”

“In garden arrangement, as in all other kinds of decorative work, one has not only to acquire a knowledge of what to do, but also to gain some wisdom in perceiving what it is well to leave alone.”

“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.”

“There is no spot of ground, however arid, bare or ugly, that cannot be tamed into such a state as may give an impression of beauty and delight.”

“The first purpose of a garden is to give happiness and repose of mind.”

“The lesson I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others, is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives.”

“Let us not be afraid of praise – all men and all women like it; it is a vital food to the heart, and you can never give too much of it, provided it is sincere.”

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.”

“A garden should be in a good temper.”

“If we are to have grand gardens, we must have grand gardeners.”

“The true gardener, after all, is never satisfied.”