When you know it's too good to be true

"Help! This plant is growing behind my office in Calgary and I can't identify it" tweeted Christene.

Gloria had some "wonderful old flowers" suddenly appear in her Canmore yard, so she sent photos by email. Mehran fell in love with a beautiful plant he saw in a Springbank ditch. He texted me a photo. Pretty and mysterious plants were suddenly on all my media.

"Our office building is about two blocks west of the Bow River. There's always a bunch of interesting plants growing out back behind the warehouse loading dock so I'm always trying to identify them, see if there are any plants I can steal to put in my garden. I had never seen anything like this one before and probably spent a good hour trying to figure out what it was," said Christene by follow-up email. But of course anything this exotic and pretty and springing out of nowhere could only be one thing. Christene and Gloria and Mehran all had or wanted to know more about weeds. Pretty, vigorous weeds.

Making realistic (garden) resolutions for the new year

If you want to build the best garden, grow the best food and raise the best petunias this summer, now is the time to set growing goals in motion.

But whatever you do – don't compare yourself to the neighbours.

"You should see Marinette's garden," my helpful husband points out one day last fall. "It is just beautiful."

Yes, it is – no contest. I've seen pretty pots on her doorstep and I am familiar with her weed-free gardens, but my efforts are not in the same league.