Lady Bird Johnson did more than plant flowers in public places.

Hear now the words of Stewart Udall, himself a guardian of the land, who spoke with reverence of a woman whose vision was both gentle and mighty: “Lady Bird Johnson did more than plant flowers in public places. She served the country superbly by planting environmental values in the minds of the nation’s leaders and citizens.” At first, it may seem that the planting of flowers is a small and delicate act. Yet Udall reveals to us that Lady Bird’s labor was no mere work of ornament, but a sowing of seeds that would bear fruit in the hearts of a generation.

The meaning of this teaching lies in the power of symbols and values. To beautify highways with blossoms, to fill public spaces with color, was not only to delight the eye. It was to remind the people that beauty itself is part of the common good, that the earth is not merely ground to be paved and exploited, but a living gift to be honored. Through her work, Lady Bird Johnson showed that caring for the land is not a luxury, but a duty. In this way, she awakened environmental values where once there had been only indifference.

Consider, O listener, the story of her campaign to beautify America’s highways. In the 1960s, the age of the automobile had cloaked roadsides with billboards, junkyards, and refuse. The land, scarred by neglect, reflected a spirit that prized profit above all. Lady Bird championed the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, a law that sought to curb billboard blight, protect scenic landscapes, and plant trees and flowers along the nation’s roads. Critics scoffed, calling it trivial. But in truth, it was transformative, for it reminded both leaders and citizens that even the spaces between cities must reflect dignity, harmony, and respect for nature.

This story mirrors the lesson of history: that true change is not always forged in thunderous acts, but in steady, symbolic gestures that shift the spirit of a people. Recall how Mahatma Gandhi spun his wheel, making cloth with his own hands. To outsiders, it seemed a small thing. Yet it planted in India the value of self-reliance and resistance to imperial exploitation. So too with Lady Bird Johnson—her flowers were not mere petals, but seeds of awareness, symbols of a new covenant with the land.

Mark this well: Udall reminds us that leadership is not only about policies and power, but about shaping the values of a nation. To plant flowers is to awaken appreciation; to awaken appreciation is to kindle stewardship; to kindle stewardship is to preserve life itself. Lady Bird Johnson, by lifting up beauty as a public good, stirred consciences more deeply than lectures alone could do. The people began to see that what is beautiful and what is sustainable are bound together, and that a nation’s greatness is measured not only by its monuments but by the health of its rivers, forests, and fields.

Let this be the lesson: do not despise small acts of beauty, for they carry within them the power to change the soul of a people. Plant gardens in your neighborhoods, trees in your parks, flowers by your roadsides—not for ornament alone, but as living testaments that the earth is worthy of care. And beyond planting, speak of these values, teach them to your children, insist upon them in your leaders. For just as Lady Bird Johnson’s blossoms softened the hearts of lawmakers, so too can your example sow seeds in the minds of those who follow.

Therefore, O child of tomorrow, carry forward her legacy. Let your hands plant, let your words teach, let your choices honor the earth. Remember that environmental values are not taught only in books or by laws—they are planted, watered, and grown in the daily acts of stewardship. And when future generations look upon your work, let them see not only gardens, but a spirit of reverence for creation that sets them free from waste and neglect.

Thus Stewart Udall’s tribute becomes a commandment: Lady Bird Johnson’s flowers were not blossoms for a season, but seeds for eternity. For in every tree planted, in every wildflower preserved, in every citizen taught to see beauty as sacred, she left behind not petals, but a path toward a nation living in harmony with the earth.