Celebrating American Gardener and Poet Edgar Albert Guest and his 1932 Poem in Praise of Gardening

August 20, 1881

On this day, we celebrate the birthday of the beloved American poet Edgar Albert Guest.

Edgar was known as the People’s Poet during the first half of the 20th century.

Edgar's poems were happy and hopeful, which is why people liked them.

His poem called To Plant a Garden is a favorite among gardeners.

If your purse no longer bulges
and you’ve lost your golden treasure,
If at times you think you’re lonely
and have hungry grown for pleasure,
Don’t sit by your hearth and grumble,
don’t let your mind and spirit harden.
If it’s thrills of joy you wish for
get to work and plant a garden!

If it’s drama that you sigh for,
plant a garden and you’ll get it
You will know the thrill of battle
fighting foes that will beset it.
If you long for entertainment and
for pageantry most glowing,
Plant a garden and this summer spend
your time with green things growing.

If it’s comradeship you sight for,
learn the fellowship of daisies.
You will come to know your neighbor
by the blossoms that he raises;
If you’d get away from boredom
and find new delights to look for,
Learn the joy of budding pansies
which you’ve kept a special nook for.

If you ever think of dying
and you fear to wake tomorrow,
Plant a garden! It will cure you
of your melancholy sorrow.
Once you’ve learned to know peonies,
petunias, and roses,
You will find every morning
some new happiness discloses