Gardening is a labor of love that transcends well beyond the copious harvests of colorful flowers and nutritious foods. It’s a metaphor for many of life’s most important lessons. We toil to create beauty, and it requires vision, creativity and a nurturing spirit to care for something outside of ourselves. Not only can being a gardener feed our hunger, but it also can fill our souls and teach us some of the paramount lessons in life’s journey. Here are some nuggets of wisdom culled from thinkers through the centuries, accompanied by my analysis of the sage words:

“If you would be happy your whole life long. Become a gardener.”

– Old Chinese Proverb

1. You have a choice every morning as to how you want to approach the day. You can groan and think, “I have to pull weeds,” or rather, “I get to be outside sprucing up my little slice of the world.”

“Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration.”

– Lou Erickson

2. Creating something beautiful often requires getting dirty. Whether it’s marriage, our physiques, children or our health, most anything worth the reward takes some sweat and tears to get there.

3. The grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence; it is actually greener where you water. Don’t long for what others have, but create what you want.

“Anyone can have dirt. Gardeners have soil.”

– Unknown author

4. A garden is not only food for our bellies but our souls, too.

“Almost every person, from childhood, has been touched by the untamed beauty of wildflowers.”

– Lady Bird Johnson

5. Plants need light and space to grow. The same is true of friendships, children and lovers; why else would we call it a wildflower?

“The beautiful rests on the foundations of the necessary.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. Some of the basics of the garden stink! Not everything’s virtues are outwardly obvious.

“Where flowers bloom so does hope.”

– Lady Bird Johnson

7. In times of stress, the garden needs extra attention, as do humans in times of sickness, death, divorce and transition.

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

8. A weed to one person is a flower to another. There is beauty in all things, it just depends on the eye of the beholder. Try not to overlook people’s assets just because you don’t see them.

9. A seed will not grow if you plant it in the frozen earth. Forcing anything to your will in nature or in life generally has a poor conclusion.

“If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

10. Some days it’s easy to look at the garden and only notice the weeds. Step back and take in all of its beauty. The same is true of life; try not to focus on the minutia and sweating the small stuff. Rather, take a deep breath and recognize what’s going well.

“More grows in the garden than the gardener sows.”

– Old Spanish Proverb

11. The squirrels and other critters have peppered the garden with a few surprises; embrace them. A well-laid plan for life is a recipe for failure. Roll with the twists and turns down life’s path, and the surprises might just make you smile.

12. A garden is for sharing. Let people in to see and share and learn from you.

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.”

– James Oppenheim

13. Admire other’s gardens, but don’t long to move in. After all, imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

“The best fertilizer is the gardener’s shadow.”

– Unknown author

14. Without a nutrient-rich soil, a plant does not thrive. People need a solid foundation as well. We all need fertile footing to stand tall.

15. Gardening is more fun when you pick up a hoe together. Most activities in life are more fun when you have company.

“Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee.”

– Biblical proverb

16. No matter how many books you read on the subject of gardening, you still need to get dirty. There is no substitute for experience! It’s like having a teacher who has never applied her subject in real life. There is only so much you can espouse from a text.

17. Sometimes you have to prune old growth to create a bushier, healthier plant. The same is true in life. Some ideas and notions are not worth holding onto, and if you let them go, you may grow and blossom in ways you never knew possible.

“I don’t know whether nice people tend to grow roses or growing roses makes people nice.”

– Roland A. Beowne

18. Some friends are annuals and some are perennials, but there is plenty of room for them all.

19. A showy flower should no be the only part of the garden that’s cherished. People whose energies are solely focused on their appearance may not develop in other areas.

“You can tell how high a society is by how much of its garbage is recycled.”

– Tahanie

20. By not being wasteful, you ensure that your garden will be around for your grandkids to enjoy.

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

– Kahlil Gibran

21. Have fun in the garden and in life!

“He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth is generally considered a fortunate person, but his good fortune is small compared to that of the happy mortal who enters this world with a passion for flowers in his soul.”

– Celia Thaxter

22. Money is fleeting and can only buy “things”; the skill to nurture the land and people is a true blessing.

23. Dream big! Always keep in mind the promise of next year’s garden. The same is true in life: Always have aspirations.

Sources: www.gaygardener.com, www.gardendigest.com, www.quotegarden.com, www.emilycompost.com, Family Circle Magazine