Whether you're an active, hands-on gardener, or someone who simply enjoys looking at gardens, this is a book to savor at any time of year, on a glorious summer's day with a cool drink, or sitting fireside in a cozy armchair. With its rich selection of inspirational quotations from gardeners past and present, as well as from poets, painters, novelists, diarists, and spiritual teachers, this is a book for reflection designed to capture the joy of being alive that gardening evokes. Gardens can make us happy, heal us when sad or depressed, and help us understand profound truths about the relationship between ourselves and nature. As we journey through the seasons, the pattern of birth, bloom, and decay sheds light on the mystery of being human.