Be pleased with your real garden, don't persue the perfection of a picture. What you see in a photo lasted only as long as the shutter snap.

If you cut a shrub back because it's just too big, and it dies, you haven't lost anything but a plant that couldn't live by your rules.

When many plants are out of the picture in winter, it becomes clear that many of them should be pitched out. It's also much easier to do that before they come up and begin to talk to us.

Low care is what we do while on our knees. Smart care is what makes the growing easier.

We think we learn by growing a plant but we can't know if it's just surviving or truly living? We really don't know anything about a plant until we kill it.

Gardeners do first, read later. Why not? Plants are very gracious in accepting an apology.

Don't design your back yard from the outside looking in. Design from your window looking out.