“I’m finding things that are flying outside, right now, out here in Ottawa that do not have names on them. What I’m trying to do is figure out what they are, where they occur and what their relevance is to us.” Owen Lonsdale, entomologist in charge of Canada’s National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
“When I met him, walking around the garden in the Palais of the Elysee, he keeps giving me all these flowers’ names. He knows all the Latin names, all these details about tulips and roses. I said to myself, ‘My God, I must marry this man, he's the president and he knows everything about flowers as well. This is incredible.” Carla Bruni, France’s First Lady of her husband Michael Sarkozy
“It’s hard to compost in a hotel room.” Bette Midler, entertainer
”Bacteria are miniature fertilizer factories.” Neil Anderson, president of Reforestation Technologies International, a Salinas, California-based plant nutrient company that markets ‘Xtreme Gardening’ products in the U.S.
“It’s deep-rooted tradition – gardening in our society – and this is the max of it.” Tim Parks at the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Canfield, Ohio.
“We are plagued by earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes lately. Is it the end of times or just God’s way of getting rid of the bankers?” comedian Jim Carrey
“I absolutely loathe hydrangeas” Madonna’s ungracious aside as a fan’s floral gift failed to impress the 53-year-old diva Louise Veronica Ciccone at a Venice Film Festival press conference;
The Globe and Mail referred to the incident as Madonna’s “deflowering.”
”I’m not a garden designer. I'm really not at organizing things in an empty space. I research the plants, collect the ones I want, then put them all together as I go along.” Sarah Raven, leading garden designer, communicator, plantswoman
“Dear Plant Thief: If I catch you stealing my plants, I will boil you alive in a cauldron filled with poison ivy and stinging nettles until your flesh falls off your bones!” Claude Bastide, an aromatic herb grower, erected the sign alongside his city garden plot in New York City and has never lost a plant since
“How realistic is it for someone to carry an eight foot aspidistra home on a bike?” Alan Craggs, Rowlands Castle Parish Councillor, south-central England
“Vacancy begets vacancy. Weeds beget weeds.” Michael Tortorello, frequent contributor to
The New York Times
“My garden is constantly changing, so here is always room for more. It chastens you – nothing ever stays the same in gardening – but I see it as a challenge. With plants, the possibilities just go on and on.” June Blake, owner of a garden and nursery in Tinode, Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland
“Caring the Plants: Keep off the grass. Do not put down or break off twigs or flowers. No fighting. No gambling, no any other illegal actives, such as superstition. No spitting or pissing in public. The pet is not allowed to bring in.” Beijing Scenic Area sign, China
“The grass looks very brittle. It’s like walking on Rice Krispies. It’s like snap, crackly and pop!” David Phillips, senior climatologist, Environment Canada
“Before Al Gore and David Suzuki we used to call this summer.” Anonymous e-mail to the CBC
“Though life is far from a bed of roses through which one lethargically loiters it nevertheless is more savoury than a bed comprised of goiters,” Carrie Fisher, actress, film director, author
“We need to restore the honour of the cucumber.” Francisco Sosa-Wagner, Member of the European Parliament, demanding compensation for Spanish farmers after mass food poisoning in Europe was erroneously blamed on Spanish cukes.
“Plants grow very well if you talk kindly to them. Which is why I sometimes go into the garden and insult the weeds.” German joke recorded by
Daily Mail
“To be happy for an hour, have a glass of wine. To be happy for a day, read a book. To be happy for a week, take a wife. To be happy forever, make a garden.” Ambrose Congreve, businessman and gardener, who died aged 104, May 2011
“Please could we for a year go back to a spade and wheelbarrow gardening – that is all we need.” Peter Seabrook, British gardening columnist on viewing the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show
“Treat your garden like a sleepy teen – wake it gently.” Sonia Day,
Toronto Star
“I used to have sex five times a day . . . now I like gardening.” Russell Brand, comedian, wife of Katy Perry
