• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

The Gardener’s Year

March 25, 2007 By Carol Michel 7 Comments

Did you ever meet someone for the first time, and within a few minutes found out they were also a gardener, and then soon you were engaged in conversation, comparing notes on what you grow, suggesting plants to try, nurseries to shop at, and techniques for pruning? And the other people with you were soon looking from you to the other person, not believing that until that conversation, you really didn’t know each other.

Reading The Gardener’s Year by Karel Capek, the March selection of the Garden Bloggers’ Book Club, was somewhat like that for me. I found myself nodding my head and laughing at some of his observations about the gardener and the gardener’s state of mind. And I’m a bit amazed that he wrote this book nearly eighty years ago.

Some of the quotes that I really enjoyed…

“…until it has been tamed a hose is an extraordinarily evasive and dangerous beast…”

Who among us has not been attacked by our “beastly garden hoses” at some time or another? Doesn’t it seem odd that after 80 years, we still have not figured out how to make a garden hose that doesn’t at some point give us, the gardeners, a good soaking instead of the plants?

“The gardener’s autumn begins in March, with the first faded snowdrop.”

How can that be? But it is true. We always think of the gardening year as beginning in March, or if we are lucky February. And as each bloom has its season, we are one day closer to the end of the season. But we do love those days when we see the first snowdrop, the first crocus, then daffodils, tulips, lilacs, peonies, and on until the last of the toad lilies succumbs to the killing frost.

“Well, then, in April, the gardener is a man who, with fading plant in his hand, runs around his little garden twenty times looking for an inch of soil where nothing is growing.”

Some gardeners are addicted to plants, and the lack of a cleared spot of ground does not stop us from buying a plant we really want or accepting a passalong plant we’ve coveted and finally get. We’ll eventually figure out someplace to put the plant, or start a new flower bed in its honor, but in the meantime, we may have to set up little nursery holding areas to keep the plants alive until their permanent homes, their one inch of soil, can be found.

And finally,

“The right, the best is in front of us. Each successive year will add growth and beauty. Thank God again we shall be one year further on!”

One year further on, my trees are a little taller, my shrubs a little wider, and I imagine that I’ll have fewer weeds, better harvests, brighter flowers, and no trouble with rabbits. This book reminded me how optimistic gardeners are.

It also reminded me that in spite of all the changes in how we live and what we do and what we have, gardening is still gardening. It’s still about the plants and the soil, and trying to tame a bit of ground. And gardeners, and a gardener’s state of mind, really haven’t changed all that much in nearly 80 years.

If you are also participating in the Garden Bloggers’ Book Club this month, leave me a comment when you have posted your thoughts on the book so I can include you in the official club post, which will come out on March 31st. All are welcome!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: garden bloggers book club

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. kate says

    March 26, 2007 at 1:57 am

    How true that is – the villainous garden hose!

    You did a wonderful job in portraying this book…

    Reply
  2. Annie in Austin says

    March 26, 2007 at 8:23 pm

    You caught the immediacy of this book, Carol! Everyone else in the world may be crazy, but gardeners still know what’s important.

    Since it’s pouring rain here in Austin, my book club post finally got out of draft and is up, too.

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    Reply
  3. Jenn says

    March 28, 2007 at 12:31 am

    Yep. I’m in again.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    March 28, 2007 at 3:59 am

    Here’s the review of The Gardener’s Year at Zanthan Gardens.

    Now, I’ll have to go read Annie’s review and then revise mine.

    Reply
  5. Entangled says

    March 28, 2007 at 12:01 pm

    My review is posted here. I’m curious to see what others think of my favorite gardening book.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    March 30, 2007 at 2:11 am

    Carol: Very nice review! You definitely captured the spirit of the book. I’ve made it just under the wire – my review is posted as of tonight.

    Reply
  7. vonlafin says

    March 31, 2007 at 4:30 am

    Carol, I have posted my review on my blog. Thanks!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,048)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT