Of course, the character of my garden is also determined by things beyond any human decision, mine or anyone else's.

We quickly discovered that two kittens were much more fun than one.

Whether the are splashed with gold or white, striped with chartreuse or cream, or margined in light tones, they are nature's weaklings, and nature is still a matter of survival of the fittest. The survival of variegated plants depends on human intervention.

In addition to all its rich offerings to the body and its five senses, gardening engages the mind.

But there is one place where a person can make choices that will lead in a small way toward greater sanity in dealing with the natural order. That place is the private garden.

I cannot walk into our garden without constantly being reminded of the friends who have shared their plants.

I know of no common interest that exceeds gardening as a source of lifelong friendships, nor as a means of making new friends almost constantly.