Unearthed Words Archives

The Sleeping Children

by William Lisle Bowles So breathing and so beautiful, they seem, As if to die in youth were but to dream Of spring and flowers! Of flowers? Yet nearer stand There is a lily in one little hand, So sleeps that child, not faded, though in death, And seeming still to hear…

Gardeners Know Better

by Vita Sackville-West If it is true that one of the greatest pleasures of gardening lies in looking forward, then the planning of next year’s beds and borders must be one of the most agreeable occupations in the gardener’s calendar. This should make October and November particularly pleasant months, for then we may begin to…

Beauty Dying All Around Me

by Martine Bailey, American historical novelist, A Taste for Nightshade The next morning I had to get outside, and so began a period of long walks in the park. Early November continued bright, with the last sun of the year shining low and coppery over the woods. Striding through heaps of rusty autumn leaves, I…

Like a Chain Letter

by Amy Stewart Like a chain letter, I will take a plant from this garden to the next and from the next garden to the one after that, and so on, until someday I am an old woman nurturing along with a patchwork quilt of a garden, with cuttings and scraps from every garden I…

Most People, Early in November

by Beverley Nichols Most people, early in November, take last looks at their gardens and are then prepared to ignore them until the spring. I am quite sure that a garden doesn’t like to be ignored like this. It doesn’t like to be covered in dust sheets, as though it were an old…

In November

by Archibald Lampman The leafless forests slowly yield To the thick-driving snow. A little while And night shall darken down. In shouting file The woodmen’s carts go by me homeward-wheeled, Past the thin fading stubbles, half concealed, Where the last plowman follows still his row, Turning black furrows through the whitening field. Far off the…

If the Oak is King of Trees

by Donald Culross Peattie If the Oak is King of Trees, then the White Oak is King of Kings. — Donald Peattie, American botanist, naturalist, and author Notes: November 16, 1964 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Harvard botanist, Naturalist, Washington Post nature columnist, and author, Donald Culross Peattie,…

Winter is a Study in Halftones

by Donald Culross Peattie Winter is a study in halftones, and one must have an eye for them or go lonely. — Donald Peattie, American botanist, naturalist, and author, An Almanac for Moderns, 1935 Notes: November 16, 1964 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Harvard botanist, Naturalist, Washington Post nature…

Limber Pines

by Donald Culross Peattie Limber Pines have a way of growing in dramatic places, taking picturesque attitudes, and getting themselves photographed, written about, and cared for… — Donald Peattie, American botanist, naturalist, and author Notes: November 16, 1964 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Harvard botanist, Naturalist, Washington Post nature…

A Hummingbird is a Feathered Prism

by Donald Culross Peattie A hummingbird is a feathered prism, a living rainbow; it captures the very sunlight. — Donald Peattie, American botanist, naturalist, and author Notes: November 16, 1964 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Harvard botanist, Naturalist, Washington Post nature columnist, and author, Donald Culross Peattie, who…

Thank Goodness for the First Snow

by Candace Bushnell Thank goodness for the first snow. It was a reminder–no matter how old you became and how much you’d seen, things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered. —Candace Bushnell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City As featured…

The Garden is a Love Song

by Jeff Cox A garden is a love song, a duet between a human being and Mother Nature. —Jeff Cox, American garden writer As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. The Garden is a Love Song

Buy Hyacinths to Feed Thy Soul

by Saadi If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft, And of thy meager store, Two loaves alone to thee are left, Sell one, and with the dole Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul. — Saadi, Persian Sufi poet, in Gulistan (The Rose Garden), 1258 Notes: If you plant spring bulbs, I…

November is Usually Such a Disagreeable Month

by Lucy Maud Montgomery November is usually such a disagreeable month… as if the year had suddenly found out that she was growing old and could do nothing but weep and fret over it. This year is growing old gracefully… just like a stately old lady who knows she can be charming even with gray…