A garden was one of the few things in prison that one could control. In some ways, I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life. Like the gardener, a leader must take responsibility for what he cultivates; he must mind his work, try to repel enemies, preserve what can be preserved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.  -Nelson Mandela

Living is not enough, said the butterfly, one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. -Hans Christian Anderson

The earth laughs in flowers. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Skona maj, valkommen!   ---"Beautiful May, welcome!"...Swedish

Faith is to breathe the flower in every seed, to see a star in every drop of dew, to await the promise of a rainbow despite the cloud. -Unknown

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.

~Henry Miller

and forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet

...Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese Poet

Gardening is a way of showing you believe in tomorrow.

The sun shines not on us, but in us.  -John Muir

For all things come from earth, and all things end by becoming earth.

Xenophanes

"...everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -

to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

-- Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search For Meaning

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt

-anonymous

"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day."

~W. Earl Hall~

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Flowery Language: A sampling of idiomatic expression in other languages (Found on untours.com)

German: Auf Rosen gebettet zu sein: "on a bed of roses"--you have it totally made, are financially secure or pampered

Etwas durch die Blume sagen: "say something through the flower"--to say something in a roundabout, not very direct way

Damit ist kein Blumentopf zu gewinnen: "can't win a pot of flowers like that"--that's nothing to write home about

French: Manger les pissenlits par la racine: "to eat dandelions by their roots"-- pushing up daisies

Devenir rouge comme une pivoine: "to become red like a peony"--red as a beetroot

Spanish: Ser la flor de la canela: "to be a cinnamon flower"--to be the pick of the bunch

Echar flores a alguin: "to throw flowers at someone"--to flatter someone

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GARDEN QUOTES

California Poppies in Oregon, by J Gosnell May 09

The seeds of today are in the flowers of tomorrow.

Like a rose, I too am often on the fence.     -Laurel

If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy for a long time, fall in love; happy forever, take up gardening.     -Chinese Saying