The Best Gardening Advice Ever

It's planting time here in North Carolina. The garden centers are buzzing with people.

We purchase beauty in black plastic buckets, hopeful they will turn our yards into a page from Southern Living.

Today I went out to a wholesale nursery. I needed some bigger plants and many of them, so I thought I would save a little money. It is about 40 minute jaunt from my house deep in some farmland. You know you are there when you see about a million other cars that have the same idea. I don't know why I thought this was my little secret.

Anyway, it is the kind of place where you really have to know what kind of plants you are looking for and that no matter what you pay, you are getting a better deal than if you bought it at the regular fancy dancy garden center just 5 minutes from your house. Which happens to be one of your most favorite places to go, but your husband has requested that you keep your trips there to a minimum. And since he is digging the holes for your plants and giving you the cash, you drive the 40 minutes.

So, there are all kinds of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Smoes from the "city". There are 2 older men who must own the place and about 25 men working there that don't speak a lick of English.

The Smoes from the city are bombarding these two men with all kind of questions concerning prices, types and species of plants, the best lighting, how much water and how should they plant them.

There is a reason these men do not sell to the public. Clearly they do not like the public.

My friend was with me and we were both buying a Japanese Maple tree. You know, those really overpriced pretty red trees that must have special planting instructions. I mean they must have special instructions or why would they be so stinkin' expensive, right? (Although, we saved about 50% by going to this nursery, thank you very much.)

So, my friend asks one of the men, presumably the owner, how she should plant the tree.

He smiles a crooked smile.

Are you ready for the best gardening advice ever?

He says, "Well, you take it out of the bucket. You put the dirt part in the dirt and you leave the green part (or red in this case) out of the dirt. "

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Good thing there is the Internet.