What exactly does that mean?! Why should I care? My lack of concern seems to be directly proportionate to the intensity with which someone tries to impress upon me that I should be so concerned. A colleague from high school tried to tell me about a new television show about a so-called ‘landscaper’ in Michigan who is so extremely ‘successful’ that he also lives in a home in Florida for the winter. I suspect that both of his homes combined are worth about as much as a single home here, but I will just continue with this premise that he is successful. He does exclusively ‘high end’ work, which regularly involves moving huge boulders with old fashioned technology because that is what his ‘high end’ clients want. I needed to interrupt. The ‘high end’ nonsense annoyed me too much. So, they have huge boulders in their landscapes. Perhaps their landscapes were very expensive to install. Splendid! ‘High end’ spending is healthy for the economy. Why is this any of my business? I do not know. I am a horticulturist, not an economist. My garden contains rhubarb from the garden of my paternal paternal great grandfather, and Dalmatian iris from the garden of my maternal maternal great grandmother. That is horticulturally significant. ‘High end’ gardens seem to be more concerned with expenditure than with horticulture, as if spending more will somehow make it better. Do those who purchase ‘high end’ gardens actually work in them? Do they grow anything from the gardens of their ancestors? I know that some do, but I suspect that some do not. The primary purpose of their ‘high end’ landscapes is lavishness. I can not doubt that such landscapes serve such purposes more than adequately, but am nonetheless unimpressed by their typical lack of horticultural relevance.
Tony Tomeo 
oh my, I know exactly what you mean! When I worked in retail gardening, first it was for a very expensive garden center. In addition to the plants, we had a gift shop, so at Christmas we sold trees, roping, and everything to go with them.
My most memorable thing was the customer who bought $700 worth of bows for wreaths–and came back the following year for the same. In my naivete, I asked about the bows from the prior year. Silly me! Needless to say, recycling wasn’t her priority.
And I know people are entitled to spend their own money how they choose. I just hate waste in any form.
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What gets me is that they believe that their ways of gardening are better, as if we all strive to garden as they do. So-called ‘landscapers’ even tell me that. You know, I got the same flack when I purchased my car. It was the first time I purchased a car in my life. (All others were abandoned or inherited.) EVERYONE told me what I ‘wanted’, as if I did not know. I was told that I NEED this or that, typically something that I really do not like. Ultimately, I purchased the car that I wanted most and that I truly enjoy more than any other car that is available out there (other than old classics). It is the 1994 Roadmaster, and it cost less than $5,000. Although I am neither overly vain nor the bragging sort, I do brag about this because I get so much flack about it. Also, I know that I enjoy my car much more than anyone else, regardless of the expenditure.
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Interesting perspective. I have a lot of plants in my garden because my grandmother had the same ones. 🙂 I always wonder if a person with a big wallet who can hire a landscaper to handle all outside duties is really a gardener because to me a gardener is a person who enjoys having his/her hands in the soil. 🙂
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Some with resources really do enjoy gardening, but, just like those of us with limited resources, not all enjoy gardening. I do now know how different the ratio is. However, trying to prove that one enjoys gardening by throwing more resources at it is silly. Resources can facilitate splendid landscapes, but that is different from gardening.
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Skooter’s garden is awesome as is the lady he lives with ;-).
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Yes, we might be there tomorrow. I must send a message today. (It might be too short notice.)
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Skooter and we are honored at your cover pic. Also, I find that a hard plant to get such a good photo of, well done.
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I’m sure she will be excited by a visit ! Have a good time. John
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Oh, we will! We always do.
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Thank you. I had to sneak up on it to get this picture. This is one of the most important perennials here now, since it was the first of such acquisitions as my garden started to recover. It has historical significance here.
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