Earlier this year we lost Sam Neill. The star of Jurassic Park, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Peaky Blinders, he was also a winemaker, farmer, and by all accounts lovely person.
Three years ago, Neill was already thinking about the end of his life. When he spoke to The Guardian in 2023, he was in remission from Stage 3 blood cancer. And the thing that was weighing on him most was his garden.
"I'm not afraid to die, but it would annoy me. Because I'd really like another decade or two, you know? We've built all these lovely terraces, we've got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature.”
Sam Neill, March 2023He went on to say he’d like to see as much of his grandchildren’s lives as possible, too. But the trees are what stood out to me.
Welcome to the inaugural Quote of the Week, a series where every Monday I'll take a look at a notable quotation about plants, gardening, and nature, and explore what it can teach us all about our connection to the garden. Who better to start with than the late, great Sir Sam Neill?
The Best Time to Plant a Tree Was 30 Years Ago
The second best time to plant a tree is today. It’s an old proverb you hear, and one that’s been attributed and misattributed so much that no one knows where it came from. The idea is that trees take a long time to reach their full potential, so if you want a nice tree, you want one that's already mature. At the same time, today will be 30 years ago before you know it, so there's no time like the present to start.
It's a lovely message as well as good gardening advice, and it’s one that Sam Neill seemed to hold dear.
On his Instagram (which is a real treat if you need some wholesome Kiwi farm content in your life) he mused extensively about the lifetimes of trees, and how they often vastly outstrip our own.
“You don’t really plant for yourself. You plant for future generations, because you’ll never see that tree in its full magnificence like this one here,” he says, gaze traveling upward to the massive Wellingtonia, or giant sequoia, above him.
Trees, if all goes well, are meant to outlive us. They're a tether to the past, like the ones planted by Neill's great-grandfather or Witness Trees, which saw historical events no living person can remember. They're also a lifeline into the future, a way to speak to our descendants after we're long gone.
It seems clear, then, that Sam Neill knew he likely wouldn't see those olive and cypresses reach their full height. His annoyance wasn't with a life cut short, but just with time and its inexorable way of marching on. None of us are any closer to slowing time down, so it's best just to accept it and, like Sam Neill, plant trees as often as you can. Thirty years from now, someone will quietly thank you.
English (US) · 
French (CA) ·