Gwen Bruno writes on Dave's Garden, a particularly helpful Web site for gardeners, about St. Fiacre, patron saint of gardening.

Though it is St. Francis's statue that we often see in gardens, he is actually the protector of the living creatures who venture there, including the squirrels that dig up the bulbs. But I am sure that's just an oversight.

Ms. Bruno writes that St. Fiacre was an Irish monk, whose feast is celebrated in Ireland and France on September 1. (OK, we're a little late here.)

Here is more from her essay.

Born in Ireland in the 7th century, Fiacre was raised in a monastery.  During the Dark Ages, monasteries were repositories of learning, and it is here that Fiacre became a skillful user of healing herbs.  As he earned fame for his knowledge of plants and healing abilities, disciples flocked to him.  Fiacre sought more solitude and left Ireland for France where he established a hermitage in a wooded area near the Marne River.  Here Fiacre built an oratory in honor of the Virgin Mary and a hospice where he received strangers. He himself retreated to a solitary cell, living a life of prayer and manual labor in his garden.

The miracle upon which his sainthood is based is this: He asked for more land for gardening and was told that he could have however much he was able to till in a day. Though the exact area of ground is not clear, he did overturn trees and remove rocks and briars to clear the land in a day.

The effort was declared miraculous, as I am sure many gardeners today would agree.

Photo credit: Flickr/ TravelingMermaid