
In this gentle essay the narrator strolls through a garden surrounded by a humble white fence, letting the memory of blossoms in woods, orchards and greenhouses bloom in the mind. He muses on how flowers shape our sense of beauty, color, and even the language of love, arguing that without them our inner world would be dimmer and our joy more austere. The prose weaves science, philosophy and poetry, inviting listeners to pause and rediscover the quiet wonder that petals bring to everyday life.
The author then turns his affection toward the simplest, most ancient blooms—those that have lived alongside generations of people. He warns that these humble flowers are being edged out by flashy imports and aggressive newcomers like Begonia tuberosa, making their survival precarious. The piece becomes both a celebration of forgotten garden treasures and a subtle call to protect the modest flora that quietly sustains our cultural heritage.
Language
en
Duration
~58 minutes (56K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Chuck Greif & The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2017-09-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1862–1949
A quiet revolutionary of modern drama, he filled the stage with mystery, silence, and inner life. The Belgian Nobel laureate is still best known for symbolist works such as Pelléas and Mélisande and for the enduring fantasy play The Blue Bird.
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