Last Chance Now: Meet the patron saint of gardens today!

Enjoy this inside look at The Weeder’s Reader — a special issue of GreenPrints. You’ll love this story! [GreenPrints]( February 2, 2023  [MEET THE PATRON SAINT OF GARDENING!]( All worthwhile endeavors deserve their own saint, don’t you think? Gardening is without a doubt one of the most worthwhile of all endeavors, even for those of us who are casual gardeners. Isn’t it good to know that while you’re toiling away, tending your garden, that you can find some inspiration to keep your garden growing? Become a [GreenPrints All-Access Member]( today to get stories that amuse, inspire, entertain, and even heal. These “gardening stories from the heart” are reading for your enjoyment, fulfillment, and personal enrichment—you’ll always find stories of hope and inspiration whenever you read an issue! For example, check out this this interesting story from page 16 of The Weeder’s Reader — a history of St. Fiacre, the patron saint of gardeners: [The Story of St. Fiacre]( Just who was this patron saint of gardeners? By Peter Loewer [St. Fiacre] Most noble endeavors of mankind have a patron saint, usually a man or woman who has achieved notoriety—often by torture or death—in a particular field or endeavor. In 303 A.D., for example, a woman named Barbara dwelt in Heliopolis, where she was decapitated by her father when she refused to renounce Christianity. He was thereupon consumed by lightning and she became the patron saint of firearms (if not the N.R.A.) and all accidents from explosions involving gun powder. In 250 A.D., St. Apollonia became the patron saint of dentistry. Because she wouldn’t relinquish her faith, all her teeth were brutally removed, one by one, with a pair of pincers, and she was then burned alive. Most patron saints have such lives. Last month I went to a garden party and saw a sculpture of an Irish monk named St. Fiacre. The plaque below called him the patron saint of gardeners. Now I must confess that in over 25 years of gardening, I never really thought our craft had a patron saint, even though when walking through gardens and garden centers, I’d often seen statue after statue of a pious man in a cloak, identified by crude signs written in felt-tip pens as St. Francis, patron saint of gardeners. Apparently today’s concrete casters and mild-mannered growers believe that our activity’s patron should be someone who had quiet thoughts and talked to birds. But I always dismissed St. Francis out of hand, since tradition would probably demand that gardening’s saint either have been buried alive, mauled by a pair of oxen while tilling bottomland, or at least an earnestly dedicated grower. And it turns out I was right. Saint Fiacre, our real saint, was a wildman of gardening, a miracle worker who bargained with the church and had problems with a witch, and the patron saint of cab-drivers, as well. Back in Ireland in the 600’s, various monks were sent to Europe to spread the word of God, among them Fiacre. Fiacre soon made a name for himself as a pious monk, but wished only to become a hermit. So the Bishop of Paris gave him a place of his own, deep in the forest and away from the monastery, where Fiacre retired to the great work of his life. He soon cleared a space in the woods and built an oratory to Our Lady and a small hut for himself. Then he began a garden. The garden, as is the wont of gardens everywhere, kept getting larger and larger. Soon roaming hunters chanced upon the garden and were welcomed with open arms. They marveled to find such a place of plenty way out in the gloomy woods, and heard Fiacre preach and saw him heal, using medicines made from wildflowers and herbs. News spread far and wide. Fiacre was forced to build another hut for the visitors and further expand his garden, and, of course, he ran out of land. So he went to the Bishop and asked for more. [St. Fiacre] The Bishop, knowing a good thing when he saw it, granted the wish, saying, “Fiacre, I will give you as much land as you can enclose with your spade in one day.” Back to his garden went Fiacre, and taking some sticks, he surveyed the amount of land he needed and marked its boundaries, an amount far in excess of what one man could hope to enclose with a simple shovel in one day. Then he went into the oratory and prayed for help. Now it so happened that an envious woman who lived nearby (she was probably an herbalist who, until Fiacre moved in, had advised all the peasants on their ailments and love lives) heard by the grapevine that he was up to something. So she hid in some bushes and watched the whole affair. By the next morning, the monk’s prayer was answered. All the land he had marked was now encircled by spadework. The woman went straight to the Bishop and accused Fiacre of magic. But when the Bishop saw what had happened, he called the event a miracle and proclaimed Fiacre a saint. He was so angered by the accusation of the woman, he called her a witch and denied Fiacre’s oratory to all women, for all time. Years later (I never found out if Fiacre died in the traditional grisly way or not), a great Benedictine Priory was built where the Saint had begun his solitary garden, and many wonders of healing were credited to his saintly relics. Then sometime in the 1600’s, probably as a result of population pressures brought on by urban sprawl, his remains were moved to the Cathedral at Meaux. There in 1641, Anne of Austria visited the shrine. She did not enter but remained outside the grating, mindful of the legend that any woman who went inside would go blind or mad. Of course, with the passing of years, the misogyny of Fiacre (or at least of his shrine) has apparently been forgotten. Otherwise, many women gardeners today would be up in arms and ask that the job of patron saint be given to the same Anne of Austria for her dalliances in the garden with the Three Musketeers, or to Lucrezia Borgia for her knowledge of herbal poisons. But where do taxi cabs come into the story? It seems in 1648, a gentleman by the name of Sauvage started an establishment that rented carriages—the sort of small, four-wheeled coaches hung with double springs. For the business, he bought a house in the Rue St. Martin called the Hotel de St. Fiacre that had a figure of the Saint over the doorway. Soon all the coaches of Paris were called fi acres. The drivers placed images of the Saint on their dashboards and named him their patron. [St. Fiacre] The tradition continues to this day, but judging by the taxi rides I’ve endured over the years, St. Fiacre has had far more influence on the gardeners of this world than the taxi drivers. ❖ Illustrations by Jean Loewer Dear Reader, Did you know the background of St. Fiacre? Peter Loewer does a great job of sharing the rich history of the patron saint of gardening. GreenPrints has published many stories just like this— rich, interesting stories that share new (or historic) aspects of gardening. The Weeder’s Reader includes more stories of with a bumper crop of wisdom, such as: - “The Green Man” from the Autumn 1994 issue - “Remedial Weeding” from the Summer 2004 issue - “My No-Grow Azaleas” from the Winter 2005-06 issue - And more! The Weeder’s Reader is a fabulous compendium of some of the best stories GreenPrints has published over the years, all gathered into one wonderful special issue — a bonus issue available only to subscribers! Plus, we have dozens more inspirational stories in our Library—and coming up in future issues! Please read what some subscribers say about how GreenPrints affects their lives: “The wonderful stories in the magazine have given me hope about mankind. We are surrounded by sad and difficult times in a polarized culture. Your heartful approach and spirit shine through. Thank you!” —Cathy Gornick, New Hartford, NY “I’m renewing for three years. I’m not sure I’ll be around in three years. But I want to make sure you are!” —Susan Ward, Middleton, WI “Thank you, GreenPrints family, for providing calm, joy, and wisdom in these crazy times.” —Lee Ann Hawkins, Marion, IN Including this featured story—“The Story of St. Fiacre”—you get all 16 stories in the GreenPrints Special Issue Weeder’s Reader only with an [All-Access Membership](. Filled with stories that inspire, amuse, and heal, The Weeder’s Reader, like all issues of GreenPrints, also includes specially commissioned artwork with every article, to enhance the stories and entertain you—illustrations that are thought-provoking and just plain fun! Here is what one subscriber says about GreenPrints: “Thank you! BEST EVER Magazine!! It's like the finding a ‘treasure’ in the mailbox. Artwork is amazing!” —Jo Glenn, Port Royal, PA Here are the stories included in The Weeder’s Reader: - “My New Year’s Garden” - “My No-Grow Azaleas” - “On the Art of Gardening” - “One Million Daisies” - “The Story of St. Fiacre” - “The Obsessed Gardener” - “A Penn Station Valentine” - “The Joy of NonGardening” - “Love and Daffodils Forever” - “Atheists on My Houseplants!” - “The Green Man” - “Light Passes Through Me” - “Remedial Weeding” - “The Most Important Tool” - “Flowers Grow in a Garden” - “A Veteran’s Garden” [The Weeder's Reader]( For just $20 (no shipping or handling … and no tax!), you can get [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( for an entire year—with a whole year’s worth of stories in a full subscription to GreenPrints, both print and digital editions … and benefits galore — including your own copy of The Weeder’s Reader, available only to subscribers! [$20 SPECIAL! 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[Claim Your $20 Membership Now!](  Summary of All-Access Membership Benefits 01 A full year of GreenPrints All-Access Membership, an exclusive club for those who want to enjoy the greatest gardening stories ever—save $40 off the annual cover price, a 67% discount! $60/year Now Only: $20/year! 02 1-year subscription to the GreenPrints Magazine, quarterly issues filled with humorous and heartwarming stories—in print, delivered directly to your door, and sent to you digitally as soon as issues are published! INCLUDED 03 Full and immediate access to the GreenPrints Digital Library—your membership includes access to the current digital magazine issue and back issues, a digital version of The Weeder’s Reader—plus the library is constantly growing with new content regularly added! INCLUDED 04 Instant and unlimited access to all GreenPrints Collections—curated and comprehensive collections of stories from the heart, organized around specific topics such as humor, joy, romance, mystical and healing gardens, and gardening mishaps. INCLUDED 05 FREE BONUS: The Weeder’s Reader—a compilation of the sixteen greatest stories ever published by GreenPrints. You get a FREE copy mailed to you, plus instant and unlimited access to the digital version in the library! FREE [Claim Your $20 Membership Now!]( Become a [GreenPrints All-Access Member]( today—while this special $20 offer lasts! Sincerely, [Bill Dugan] Bill Dugan Editor & Publisher GreenPrints P.S. Claim your benefits with a spot in [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( today—only $20 for an entire year with this Special Offer, a 67% discount off the cover price! Plus, you’ll get the special issue available only to subscribers: The Weeder’s Reader, a delightful collection of the 16 best heartwarming stories GreenPrints has published over the years. P.P.S. You deserve to have regular hope and happiness in your life—please act now to claim your [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( and get inspired and motivated every day! [GreenPrints All-Access Membership Special Offer—Only $20!]( 67% Off the Cover Price Now! [GreenPrints all access](  Claim your GreenPrints All-Access Membership today and get all the greatest gardening stories ever—heartwarming and funny, for you now! [YES, SIGN ME UP FOR JUST $20 FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR!]( About GreenPrints Magazine: GreenPrints shares the absolute best true stories of gardeners from all across the country. It’s the most inspiring, humorous, and heartfelt gardening magazine of them all. There is nothing else like it. We’re no spring seedling, either—we’ve been publishing for over 30 years. 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