September’s Philosopher: Henri Frederic Amiel’s Garden Wisdom

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This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:

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September 27, 1821

My dearest gardening friends, as autumn's gentle touch begins to paint our gardens in amber and gold, how fitting it is to recall the birth of Henri Frederic Amiel on this day.

Amiel was a soul who understood so profoundly the parallel rhythms of nature and human existence.

This Swiss philosopher and poet left us a most precious gift in his Journal Intime, a devoted companion that captured his thoughts from 1847 until mere weeks before his departure from his earthly garden in 1881. Within the pages of Amiel's journal, we find wisdom that resonates particularly with those of us who tend to growing things.

On a late August day in 1868, as summer's warmth began to wane, Amiel penned what must surely be among the most eloquent metaphors for life's seasons.

Here's Amiel's thoughts on the shoulder season of fall:

Say to yourself that you are entering upon the autumn of your life; that the graces of spring and the splendors of summer are irrevocably gone, but that autumn, too, has its beauties.

The autumn weather is often darkened by rain, cloud, and mist, but the air is still soft, and the sun still delights the eyes, and touches the yellowing leaves caressingly:

it is the time for fruit, for harvest, for the vintage, the moment for making provision for the winter.

How poignantly he continues:

My life has reached its month of September.

May I recognize it in time, and suit thought and action to the fact!

But it is perhaps his observation about our beloved gardens that speaks most directly to our hearts:

A modest garden contains, for those who know how to look and to wait, more instruction than a library.

Is this not the very essence of what we, as gardeners, discover with each passing season?

Every fallen leaf, every ripening fruit, every seed that takes wing on the autumn breeze carries within it lessons of patience, transformation, and the eternal cycle of renewal.

How fascinating that Amiel, this keen observer of life's seasons, should have been born in September, the very month he would later compare to life's mature wisdom!

In our own gardens, as we gather the last of summer's bounty and prepare the soil for winter's rest, we might do well to reflect upon his words.

Henri Frederic Amiel in his 30s
Henri Frederic Amiel in his 30s
Henri-Frédéric Amiel from Amiel's Private Journal (1888)
Henri-Frédéric Amiel from Amiel's Private Journal (1888)
Henri Frederic Amiel portrait (enhanced and colorized)
Henri Frederic Amiel portrait (enhanced and colorized)
Amiel's grave
Amiel's grave

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