A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches entire trust. — Gertrude Jekyll
meaning
Gertrude Jekyll’s quote beautifully captures how gardening mirrors important life skills. Patience is essential in gardening because plants grow over time and cannot be accelerated, mirroring how valuable successes in life typically involve long-term commitment. The need for careful watchfulness in gardening teaches us to be mindful and attentive to the needs of others and our surroundings. Gardening is labor-intensive; it demands regular effort, instilling in us the importance of diligence and perseverance. Thrift is seen in resource management, as every drop of water and a bit of soil must be used efficiently. Most importantly, gardening teaches trust—trust in the unseen processes that, beneath the soil, growth and life are burgeoning, just as we must sometimes trust in our efforts before seeing the results.
