“Blessing for a Gardener” is a beautiful garden prayer poem by Julian of Norwich, a 14th-century English mystic and anchoress. This garden prayer poem, originally written in the late 1300s or early 1400s, captures the essence of gardening as a spiritual practice and a form of devotion to God.
The garden prayer poem begins with a simple yet powerful invitation: “Be a gardener.” This call to action encourages the reader to embrace the role of a gardener and to engage in the physical labor of tending to the earth. The garden prayer poem then describes the various tasks involved in gardening, such as digging a ditch, toiling, sweating, and turning the earth upside down. These actions are not merely physical but also metaphorical, as they represent the effort and dedication required to cultivate one’s spiritual life.
As the garden prayer poem progresses, Julian of Norwich emphasizes the importance of seeking the “deepness” and watering the plants in time. This imagery suggests that gardening is not only about surface-level work but also about delving into the depths of the soil and nurturing the plants with care and attention. In the context of this garden prayer poem, these actions can be interpreted as a call to explore the depths of one’s faith and to nurture one’s spiritual growth through consistent effort and devotion.
The garden prayer poem then describes the rewards of this labor, as the gardener’s efforts lead to “sweet floods” and “noble and abundant fruits.” These fruits can be understood both literally and metaphorically, representing the bountiful harvests that result from the gardener’s hard work and the spiritual fruits that come from a life dedicated to God.
In the final lines of the garden prayer poem, Julian of Norwich presents the ultimate purpose of gardening: to offer the fruits of one’s labor to God as a form of true worship. This idea elevates gardening from a simple hobby or task to a sacred act of devotion, reminding the reader that even the most mundane aspects of life can be transformed into opportunities for spiritual growth and connection with the divine.
Blessing for a Gardener
By Julian of Norwich
Be a gardener.
Dig a ditch,
toil and sweat,
and turn the earth upside down
and seek the deepness
and water the plants in time.
Continue this labor
and make sweet floods to run
and noble and abundant fruits
to spring.
Take this food and drink
and carry it to God
as your true worship.
By Julian of Norwich (1342—.c.a.1416), published originally in 2017, in GreenPrints Issue #111.
“Blessing for a Gardener” is a timeless garden prayer poem that invites readers to embrace the spiritual essence of gardening. Through its vivid imagery and profound insights, this garden prayer poem encourages us to cultivate our faith with the same dedication and care that a gardener brings to tending the earth, ultimately offering the fruits of our labor as a form of worship to God.
This poem comes from our archive, which spans over 30 years, and includes more than 140 magazine issues of GreenPrints. Pieces like these that inject the joy of gardening into everyday life lessons always brighten up my day, and I hope it does for you as well. If you enjoy this piece, you can find more gardening poetry in our Gardening Poems Collection.
What did you think about this garden poem? Let me know in the comments!
Plain and simple enough to express all we need to do and know for growing. Thank you for putting this in GreenPrints! My opinion, but I feel it is beautiful and necessary to pray about anything, for anyone and every one, and everything, all of the time, especially in today’s world!