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.

Take my last best advice: Try everything twice!

If someone says "You're not doing that right," hand him the shovel, sit and watch. That's the right way to garden.

Silly gardeners! We buy pretty, comfortable benches and position them oh so carefully. But does the gardener ever sit? No! We perch momentarily and then jump up to do that next thing we see.

The very best garden is a new one, on virgin ground. Plants leap out of that spot.

A colorful handle on a tool does nothing for me. Once it drops into that jungle out there, unless it's absolutely huge, it's gone until fall.

There are far too many self esteem problems in the world as it is. No sense taking on plant guilt, too.