The Sorry Gardener

1. Gain 20 pounds, start smoking, and don’t buy any more plants until the others are in the ground.

2. Empty the pots. Dig a hole “right there” if a plant has been parked in the same spot for an entire season. No questions asked.

3. Banish the buckets and trash bags. Before I unearth a transplant, decide where to move it and … wait for it … dig the new hole.

4. Plan my garden projects a little more and wing them a little less. But don’t take the fun out of it.

5. End my gardening day sooner, before I collapse in a quivering heap of exhaustion and Mr. Sorry has to drag me into the house by my ankles.

6. Enjoy my favorite places in the garden more and fret about those other spots less—except the really ugly ones. Fix those.

7. Redesign the beds along the front walk and outside the kitchen window for the fifth year in a row. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky.

8. Build some raised beds and grow some veggies. But do not order every seed under the sun and get in over my head … at least not the first year.

9. Accept that I will never be taller or know the names of all of my daylilies.

10. Embrace working from home this spring and summer as I continue to build my new path. It’s going to be an interesting year.