O ye Sun and Moon, oh ye beans and roses, oh ye jigs and juleps, Bless ye the Lord, Praise Him and Magnify Him Forever. Amen. – Virginia Cary Hudson, “Gardening,” O Ye Jigs & Juleps!, 1962

Gardens… should be like lovely, well-shaped girls: all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations, seductive surprises and then still more curves. – H.E. Bates, A Love of Flowers

We think that diamonds are very important, gold is very important, all these minerals are very important. We call them precious minerals, but they are all forms of the soil. But that part of this mineral that is on top, like it is the skin of the earth, that is the most precious of the commons. – Wangari Maathai (1940–2011), Dirt! The Movie, 2009

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. – Douglas William Jerrold, about Australia, A Land of Plenty