The Suffering Of Gardeners

In the winter, gardeners dream of spring. Spring begins the dramatic awakening of a gardener's vision. People who have the great luck to pass by a gardener's creative display of lovingly selected plants in a garden only see the resulting beauty of the garden. To the passing onlooker, the garden is stunning. What they have no idea about is there is a gardener who is or have taken note with much disappointment of all of the failures of their garden. 

I am a gardener. I can speak firsthand about the life of a gardener. Many people who do not garden may believe the gardener is a person with a magical GREEN THUMB because their plants are so glorious. They will tell a gardener this and sometimes a gardener will try to tamp down such a wonderful compliment. Why? Because that gardener knows for every healthy, beautifully blooming plant they have, there were probably ten that didn't live. The compliment made the memory of the plants that died flash through their mind. Many gardeners mourn the loss of plants that would have made their garden even more stunning and actually completed their vision which they anticipated all winter.

When people/visitors come to my home, they will eww and ahh at my flowers. I usually stand somewhat baffled blinking my eyes rapidly trying to join in on how pretty my flowers are. I have to hold back, which I have yet to successfully master, not telling them, "This is not even close to the way it should look. There was supposed to be more plants here. More plants there. The gaps in the garden are horrible and I have several plants not doing as well as they should right now."  A gardener is never FULLY able to take a compliment. Oops. I used the word NEVER. Remember. Never say ALWAYS or NEVER about something because it usually doesn't hold up.

The one thing that causes a gardener the most ANXIETY is the weather. It is the one thing a gardener cannot bend to their will. If the weather man wants to know who his demographic is, he should be assured it is gardeners. Gardeners make sure to know what the weather forecast is. Predicted heavy rain, wind, cold, snow, freeze, high temps, and drought, can send a gardener scrambling to protect their plants in the garden. Gardeners hit social media searching and asking for advice and tips how to get their beloved plants through the extremes of predicted weather. After they have done all of the precautionary measures to protect their plants, they sit and wait.

The waiting is hard. It is a feeling of HELPLESSNESS. Their mind wanders to what CAN be the outcome. Then they spend the rest of the waiting period trying to convince themselves everything will be okay. They begin to still themselves by telling themselves it's only plants. They are replaceable. But their gardener SPIRIT knows that the plant they picked out on a certain day as a plant they must have for their garden for specific reasons, selected the best spot for that plant to survive and thrive, possibly amended the soil to suit that plant, watered it in until it adjusted to the garden and began to produce new leaves and roots, kept an eye on it daily for signs of stress or insect invasion, and finally saw their efforts of their nurturing paying off, the plant was growing taller, wider, and finally producing flowers or fruit, if lost, would cause them grief. 

Gardeners recall failures in the garden, it seems, just as much as successes in the garden. My garden was among the many in the severe drought of the summer of 2023. My garden did not receive rain from early May through mid-November. I couldn't believe it just would not rain. I diligently watered my plants until the scorching temperatures of July and the ever-biting mosquitos made it impossible for me to water them. I was BEAT DOWN. My mind knew the fate of my plants enduring the high temperatures of 100 plus degrees daily and lack of rain. There was nothing to do but to retreat and save MYSELF from the extreme weather. I knew every day my plants were suffering and there would be losses. Remember how I said the waiting phase was brutal for a gardener. Not only did I have to wait out the drought, but I would also have to wait out the winter to see the tragic results of plant that did not survive when spring emerged.

I am feeling the pains of loss of flowers as I write this. No matter the situation, people have a tendency to always mourn WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN whether with a past relationship or a missed career opportunity. Gardeners also think about what could have been. 

Back to the ALWAYS and NEVER statement I should not have said. There are so many quotes about pain and suffering and most sum up to the quote, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." It applies to gardening so well.

A gardener dreams and plans their garden each year with visions of making it a place they can enjoy taking in its beauty. It may take years to bring their vision into reality due to random destructive acts of nature, but they never quit. Gardeners are tenacious and resilient. They become more able to rebound from what MOTHER NATURE throws at them. They become more entuned and partnered with nature instead of a victim of nature. They begin to CALM and enjoy what they have and not focus on what could have been. This is a SEASONED gardener though. I'm talking about a person who has gardened over 10 plus years. They are able to go WITH the flow of nature and ADMIRE how it shows up and its power. The ANIMOSITY between the two ENDS. 

I guess the seasoned gardener can because in the ten years of gardening they have gotten close or maybe have achieved what they wanted to achieve in their garden and now they are in the PLAY PHASE.

I call it the play phase because the gardener is now doing little tweaks and little subtle additions to their garden. The backbone of their garden, design, and showstoppers of the garden have been thriving for years now. Now they are adding plants as whimsy and for the simple joy of EXPERIMENTING to see what will happen. They KNOW which faithful plants will return each year no matter what the weather brings, and they know which plants won't when they add them to their garden. They were a temporary addition. Their perseverance and resolve have paid off and they now feel like a MASTER GARDENER, at least when it comes to THEIR garden.

The beginner gardener though, suffers. They question whether they have the coveted GREEN THUMB. They wonder if the people who pass by their garden will find it pretty. They face so many FAILS in the garden to the point of feeling some shame in their ability to garden. Don't lose hope. We all have been there.

Little do they know that a gardener's life is like LIFE in general. In life we face extremes also. We experience failures too. We have those helpless/hopeless moments of waiting for outcomes we picture in our mind as catastrophic. We steal ourselves when we have to face the results. In life as in the garden, you must not condemn yourself or curse the outside forces. You must remain focused on your vision, remain tenacious in trying to achieve it, and resilient when unforeseen situations out of your control occur. You partner with life and its rhythms, know your foundation remains, and enjoy the beauty of what you do have. There WILL be time when you think of what could have been, but you must love and see the beauty of what you DO have. People, in time, do notice and say how pretty and grand your hard work is. Within you, you will still see the empty places where things have died or didn't come to be. You have to HEAR and internalize the compliments given saying, "I have seen what you have done. It is beautiful" 

Gardeners go through a lot of emotions. When they face losses or failures in their garden, they feel that too and have the appropriate responses to loss and failure. They OVERCOME those feelings and continue on. They complete their vison and dream. They are not quitters. They have wonderful stories to tell and tricks of the trade they've LEARNED through the years. Gardeners do not just grow plants, they grow THEMSELVES.

If you have the chance, walk and tour a garden of a seasoned gardener. Most of them are welcoming and would love for you to tour their garden. Ask them questions about their garden and really listen to them. As they talk about their garden, they are sharing WISDOMS that can transfer into daily life. Memories to cherish and memories to let go. Look at the expression on their face as they talk about their plants. I bet you will see expressions of tender love for certain plants and pride for certain plants. In their garden, the energy is so positive until it should be bottled and shared.

One thing people who do not garden but enjoy flowers says to a gardener is, "I wish I had the TIME to garden but I'm too busy." My advice is refrain from saying that to a gardener. Because if other gardeners are like me, I feel sorry for that person. Gardening offers so much including slowing down in life and not doing so much until you do not have TIME. Gardening makes you aware and appreciative of time. It shows you what can happen in seasons of time. You can have unexpected losses in time out of your control, so you FOCUS on the good that you do have. Gardening allows you to dream and grow. The gardener gets to witness delightful SURPRISES like a flower randomly changing from its original color to another color or a plant popping out of nowhere that a bird must have contributed to their garden or a plant deciding to seed itself in the most unusual place and outperform their parent in a perfect place to live. Gardeners greet their gardens with the expectation of seeing something beautiful in their day and the garden delivers much more so than it disappoints. Gardening, the gardener knows, is something you should make time for, but they respectfully do not tell the person so. They do not tell them they are missing a LOVE AFFAIR on an unexplainable scale.

If you have ever had the pleasure to see a garden which you viewed as pretty, beautiful, or gorgeous, just know that gardener has seen some things and been through some things. But also know you are seeing the results of a person who doesn't take NO for an answer. They can adjust to what is thrown at them, recover from grief, not afraid to try again, take risks, have the ability to nurture the sickliest, and delight in small surprises. They have something, their garden, to add beauty to their day daily. They are a WHOLE person in my view. Now, not every gardener is a SWEET person outside of their garden. But a garden tames the savage beast just like music does. You will notice the monster of a person is different when, if they do, gives a garden tour and talk about their plants.

After an argument with one of my daughters she said to me, "Life is not all butterflies and flowers!" I laughed (not a good thing to do in an argument) and said, "My life is butterflies and flowers because I plant the hundreds of flowers and I sit and watch the many butterflies as they feed on the flowers. Your life may not be filled with butterflies and flowers, but mine is in every sense of the words." And it was not a flippant comeback. My garden is the place I went to just sit and unwind from the argument. It was where I released my negative energy by putting my bare feet on the coolness of the green grass. It was where my mind was able to see beauty and remember the beauty of my daughter who I also lovingly cared for and was a lasting foundation. Our argument was just like a bad weather system. Stormy weather that comes and it goes, and you continue on knowing you can recover and produce more beautiful things. She is lucky my life IS all butterflies and flowers.

To the gardeners who have been gardening 25 plus years, I know your gardener's spirit. I have been gardening for 32 years and have been complimented by many and even wrote a book about a year-long gardening journal I kept, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, 20 years ago. Every agony of gardening was expressed in it including my HATE relationship with WEEDS. My suffering is evident in the book. But I grew and became a different. My garden grew me. 

To all of my fellow gardeners, you are amazing, and your gardens are beautiful. Thank you for adding some beauty to this world through all of your private suffering.

You can purchase my book, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, on amazon.com Please comment, share and follow this page. Thank you.

 

The LOVE of Roses

So, you made it through Mother's Day I am assuming. You did your due diligence and picked mom a special gift which made her smile. WHAT A WONDERFUL CHILD YOU ARE.

No one was smiling more than florists filling thousands of bouquet orders of flowers on Mother's Day. And the number one flower people wanted to give mom was the ROSE. Roses are not just the go-to flower to give to your mother, it is the go-to flower for most gift giving to a loved one or person of interest. The rose spans many occasions of celebration. Oh, by the way, Kenya is smiling too. Commercial rose growing in Kenya goes back decades. The country is famous for its vibrantly colored blooms. Rich soil and an abundance of sunlight give Kenya’s roses their natural, distinctive hues. 

The flower which represents love has been loved for centuries. Napoleon wife Josephine Bonaparte loved roses. Between 1804 and 1814 Empress Josephine built her rose collection. It was to become the greatest and largest rose collection in the world, unsurpassed until the creation of Sangerhausen in Germany and L’Hay outside Paris, one century later. The collection was made up of about 250 species and varieties. By 1830 some 2500 different rose varieties would be available to Parisian rose lovers, all influenced by Josephine’s zeal for rose collecting. It was also the first time that anyone had had thought to create a garden with only one type of plant.   

I am a Master Gardener, and my great love is the rose. At last count I have 165 roses (not species). That is actually a small number of roses for a rose enthusiast. I am slowly becoming comfortable calling myself a Rosarian. I am a member of several Rose Lovers Facebook groups. I love roses and I am not alone. 

People love roses for their beauty, symbolism, cultural significance, exclusivity, and association with special occasions. Roses have been around for over 35 million years and are a staple in the wedding world. Red roses are associated with love, passion, and longing, and have been used in romantic gestures and rituals since ancient times.

People have been giving roses to each other since the 17th century as a way to express love. Roses are the favorite flower of Venus, the Greek goddess of love, and are often used to represent strong emotions. The Victorians also used bouquets of flowers to communicate feelings through a messaging system called "floriography," and roses became a symbol of romantic affection.

Various religions have long used roses as symbols of religious belief. In ancient Greece, the rose was a symbol of Aphrodite. It was also part of the Egyptian myth of Isis. More modern religions still use the rose symbolically. The rose is a repeated leitmotif of Judaism that symbolizes both Israel and royalty. Jewish people are also compared with roses in the Bible. After the rise of Christianity, the rose became heavily linked with the image of the Virgin Mary. Some Catholic sects place crowns made of roses on statues of the Virgin Mary during different religious holidays. Islam also incorporates these flowers into its symbology.

Whether you realized it or not, the color of rose you chose to buy and give to your loved one has meaning. Roses are filled with meaning and superstition. Me personally, have made it a point when I was in the dating arena to tell men who showed interest in me that I preferred NOT to be gifted roses. For me, receiving roses was an intimate thing and I wanted to steer clear of possibly sending the wrong signal to a man whom I had not yet declared MY love to. Plus, I wanted him to be a little more thoughtful about the flowers he bought me as a gift. Roses were such an easy go to. Roses did all of the work for him. 

Let's look at what the color of roses means first.

For example, blue roses symbolize mystery. This is not a naturally occurring color for roses but rose growers remain on a quest to create a true blue rose. There are several roses named as a blue rose such as the rose named Blue Girl, Blue Moon rose, Blue Nile, Carding Mill rose, Rainy Blue, Rhapsody in Blue, Suntory Blue Rose Applause, and Shocking Blue. Yellow roses are ideal to give away to friends.  In the past, the yellow rose was associated with jealousy or infidelity. Yellow roses used to stand for unfaithfulness, so giving a bouquet of yellow roses to your romantic partner would lead to fights and eventual break up. Nowadays, we see this rose as meaning strength, friendship and cherishing. 

Orange roses are for joy. Green roses represent strength and fertility. Oddly, there are several true green roses: Green Tea, Mayra’s Green, Jade, Super Green, Lemonade. I don't like green roses. Leaves are green. Why would I want a flower bloom to be green?

The symbolism of the elegant white rose is trust, innocence, purity, loyalty, respect, and also a fitting gift for a fresh start or a farewell. The white rose is also a symbol of remembrance. The white rose is very popular in the bridal bouquet and also suits farewell and memories. In addition, a bouquet of white roses is perfect for new business customers, for a housewarming party or of course the beginning of a new love.

Red roses are known worldwide as the symbol of love and romance. With red roses, you really give a feeling or emotion to someone else. So red roses are ideal to give to your partner on, for example, a wedding day, Valentine's Day or other special occasion. The rose has many options for giving red roses to someone. So, you have bouquets of 100 red roses for a very impressive gift, but you can also order your number of roses in a bouquet of, say, 33 red roses, for a birthday or wedding anniversary.

The message that the purple rose wants to send out is 'Love at first sight'. So, it's not that only red roses do well on Valentine's Day, also purple roses fit perfectly with the feeling of enchantment and desire.

Pink roses also have multiple meanings. For instance, you can use these roses if you are grateful to someone for something and they want to show their gratitude with these roses. Furthermore, pink roses also represent desire and are for thanksgiving. 

Now for a few superstitions regarding flowers in general and gifting them. Hopefully, you didn't break any superstitions on Mother's Day or at any other time when gifting flowers.

• Red and white: Some say that sending a combination of red and white flowers to someone who is sick can bring misfortune or even death.
• Odd numbers: Some say that giving someone an odd number of flowers is lucky, while even numbers are for the dead and may bring bad luck.
• White carnations: In Russia, white carnations are said to take away talent and good luck.
• Withered flowers: Some say that flowers that fade in the house bring good news, so you should keep them for a few days.
• Before a performance: Some say that it is bad luck to give flowers to someone before they go out to perform on stage, and instead you should wait until after.

It is said that roses are planted near someone’s grave to protect their soul from evil spirits. 

Seeing a white rose bloom in autumn signifies an early marriage. 

Throwing rose leaves into a fire is said to bring good luck.

Where roses are concerned, different cultures have different beliefs about giving roses. Most people view a rose as innocent and just a very pretty flower. In certain countries, you can run into awkward situations if you are not up on you understanding of roses.

In America, more often than any other flower, we hold the rose dear as the symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity. For the love of man and woman, for the love of mankind and God, for the love of country, Americans who would speak the language of the heart do so with a rose. We see proofs of this everywhere.

In Hungary, roses are actually a popular funeral flower. While they still retain the classic rose symbolism of love and even romance in that context, they tend to represent one’s undying love for a lost friend, spouse, or relative – so they may not be the most appropriate gift for a first date in Budapest.

Roses are also funeral flowers in Mexico, but here it’s a matter of choosing the color carefully. Yellow roses symbolize death in traditional Mexican culture, so it’s not a good idea to show up for a date or a fiesta with a yellow bouquet. This is just one of many rules of thumb for giving roses in Mexico. If you’re giving red roses in Mexico, you’d better be serious! These beauties are loaded with meaning – two, in fact. In terms of romance, they profess grand, undying love. They also stir up superstitions of magic and spell casting. Purple roses symbolize witchcraft and casting spells too, so there are plenty of ways to infuse rose-giving with some high drama.

South Koreans take rose-giving in a different direction by making these lovely blooms a coming-of-age symbol. Every May, on Coming-of-Age Day, South Koreans have a giant party celebrating all the young people turning 20 that year, at which the birthday boys and girls (men and women?) exchange gifts, including bouquets of roses – typically red.

The Finnish have also adopted the rose as a symbol of appreciation between friends. In fact, every February 14, the Finnish swap the traditional Valentine’s Day for the more inclusive Friend’s Day, a custom that started in the 1980s and hasn’t gone anywhere since. In that spirit, the Finnish celebrate Friend’s Day by exchanging cards, candy, and pink roses.

In Catalonia, Saint George Day is celebrated with roses. Legend has it that St. George, your typical knight in shining armor, saved both a town and a princess by slaying a dragon who’d taken up residence nearby. When the dragon fell, roses sprang up from where its blood had spilled – and now every April 23, Catalonians give each other red roses to symbolize St. George’s valiance and sacrifice.

Cut flowers are traditionally for funerals in China. In this case, both yellow and white roses represent death. White, furthermore, symbolizes bad luck. Numbers are highly symbolic in Chinese culture, and influence flower-giving in many ways. The number 14, for example, means imminent death, so a bouquet of 14 roses would not be well received. But recently a modern-day fairy tale and a magical number gave red roses renewed significance in Chinese romantic culture.

Taiwan’s Valentine’s Day rose traditions take that symbolism to the next level. When V Day rolls around, rose bouquets are bought in specific numbers to send particular messages to crushes and loved ones. A single rose symbolizes one-and-only love. 11 roses are given to a “special someone.” 99 roses are given to someone you’ll love for eternity. 108 roses = “Will you marry me?”

 I know my love affair with roses will only deepen as time marches on. It would be difficult for me to say which color of rose is my favorite. I just love roses. Now that I am married, I enjoy receiving roses and my husband doesn't have to be concerned about the color he chooses. But for the rose gift giver, taking the time to understand the meaning behind the flower and color of the flower can score you big points or lead to big misunderstandings.

Diary Of A Wannabe Gardener

Have you ever thought about the various ways that people judge one another and how a person may see others in their own mind? Could there be someone somewhere trying to decide whether you are a beautiful gracious rose or a defensive prickly pear? That is exactly how the main character in my book, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, Samantha Black, judges people.

Samantha, a stay at home mom, is at war with the weeds in her flower garden. She has suffered yearly defeats, but knows that this is the year of her victory. Her thumb may not be green, but she is green with envy as she views breathtaking landscapes of various Mississippi gardens. She pinches money from the household funds behind her husband's back, to achieve her goal of a perfect garden. Sam's family become reluctant participants in her yearly war against the weeds. She will not allow herself to entertain the idea that she is actually a gardener until she has created the "perfect" flower garden. Even when the family omen of the death birds comes to her house, Sam keeps her focus on her garden; her soul. Sam chronicles the garden murders, the revolts and injustices of nature, and her determination to overcome old wives tales in her yearlong diary. Family and community bonds are formed and strengthened in the oddest way as Sam's "perfect" flower garden comes to life.

Dorothy Guyton, author.

PLEASE buy my book, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, on amazon.com while you await the first signs of spring. Also, like, share, comment, and follow me on all my social media sites.

Roses on my Mind

 

This post was originally done in 2010 . It is amazing to know the cost of roses has almost tripled!

I have always had a love of roses and for the color purple. At this very time, I am prunning my roses which have already started to bud. To say I'm all scratched up is an understatement. The one thing which has changed since I made this post is that I live in a new place. I transplanted many plants, including roses from my country home garden to my new city garden which is two years old now.

Each winter I question why I continue to garden but as soon as the first signs of spring begin, I am on pins for my plants to come alive. I guess gardening is in the blood. It never dies. My favorite plant is roses but in my neck of the woods, it is humid which is the enemy of roses. Even if I buy blackspot resistant roses, the disease still shows up dropping the leaves of the roses. Will I ever stop planting roses? Never. I believe I have about 250 roses as of now and that total is sure to increase as I find (make) space for more roses.

One impediment to my love of gardening is my husband and children. Even my adult childrenwho no longer live at home made me promise wen we bought our new home to limit my DESTRUCTION of expansive yard to make flower beds. I did promise, but everyone knew I would be unable to keep my promise. I am willing to be labled a liar instead of not CREATING magic with flowers in my yard. They did not hesitate to LABEL me a liar. More plants. Don't care.

Anyway, my fellow gardeners understand the overwhelming feeling that comes over gardeners in the spring time. Only gardeners can relate. It's like the saying "Unleash the Kraken" when we know it is time to start the gardening season again. We can't and won't be held back. My book, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, sums up the inner workings of a gardener's mind as the book journals the daily life of a gardener. She is always trying to create the PERFECT garden which gardeners will tell you there is no such thing, but every garden is PERFECT. So enjoy this section of post which was written years ago but still rings true for me.

Rhapsody in Blue shrub rose
Ebb Tide floribunda rose

On this first day of the new year 2010, my mind is on my flower garden and my love; the rose. Today I ordered the above pictured roses from Regan Nursery each costing $20.00. I have struggled to grow healthy plants protected from nut grass, I must say with failure. I never give up because that first spring flush of flowers is absolutely divine.

I am thinking about giving up my garden to neglect due to the fact that it is over run by large earthworms. I have a real fear of worms. My husband has been a doll for years hanging out in the garden with me as I scream and flee from the disturbed wriggling creature. It is ironic that the more worms in the soil the healthier it is. I don't know what I am going to do because I am a jittery mess when it comes time to plant a new choice plant I have fallen in love with at one of the numerous garden centers I visit.

I have a section of garden dedicated to the illusive purple color. I have a niece who is fond of the color purple so that section of my garden is named after her.

2009 saw my garden attacked by an evasive armidillo. He dug and dug uprooting many of my asiatic lilies in search of grubs. The deer pulled up pansies and snapdragons in late winter. And this fall they are eating bushes and everything else their hearts desire. I have a host of birds feeding on seeds. I am surrounded by nature and I find it fascinating each day.

Check out some of my ealiest posts which are pictures of my garden. I look forward to the flower catalogs arriving. I check the mail daily. I hope to post some pics from my 2024 garden.

Enjoy nature, enjoy life. Remember to purchase my book, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, available on amazon.com and please like, share, comment and follow me on all social media sites.

The Perfect Garden

HAPPY CLEMATIS THURSDAY 

 

Is there such a thing as the perfect garden? If you ask me the answer is NO!

Each winter I move plants, pull out plants, and plan to buy plants all in an effort create the perfect garden for the next year. I never seem to be satisfied with the garden that I have. This year I added 6 clematis plants in hopes of having the flowers climb wherever they may. Clematis is a workhorse and announces spring is here.

Any gardener that you speak with will tell you that the garden they have has taken years of trials and errors and is always a work in progress. In my book "Diary of A Wannabe Gardener" Samantha learns there is no such thing as the perfect garden. But all gardens are beautiful and individual.

Below is what some famous people have had to say about gardening and gardeners:

DOROTHY FRANCES GURNEY:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth. "Garden Thoughts"

ELIZABETH MURRAY:
Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.

LEWIS GANNIT:
Gardening is a kind of disease. It infects you, you cannot escape it. When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed.

THOMAS MOORE:
The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don't want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don't have a soul.
God almighty first planted a garden: and, indeed, it is the purest of human pleasure.

FRANCIS BACON
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there.
George Bernard Shaw

So, it's gardening time 2024 and soon every gardener will be having gardening fever. Are you working on your perfect garden? What is your idea of a perfect garden? Is it a rose garden like mine or a perennial garden which I also strive to have? Are you the annual pop of pow type of gardener? Let's talk. WHAT IS YOUR FAMOUS QUOTE ABOUT GARDENING OR GARDENERS? Please share.

Don't forget to buy my book Diary of a Wanna Be Gardener to enjoy the life of an everyday gardener trying to create the perfect garden; available on amazon.com. Please like, share, follow, and comment. Invite your gardening friends to enjoy my blog posts about my gardening journey and gardening life. If you like my gardening topics, please let me know and I will write more about gardening on my blog. Remember, select the label garden, gardening, or gardener on the right side of the blog page.