A funny, feisty, personal memoir of gardening as both foible and a passion. -- Boston Globe With her characteristic sense of humor, Martha Smith introduces this new edition by describing the Mae West Memorial Garden that adorns her four-shades-of-purple Victorian house, planted to complement the color scheme with huge dahlias, violet gladioli, lilac lilies, and roses cloaked in a heady perfume. In The Seed Is Hope; the Crop Is Joy, meet Peter Neff, who has sculpted an English cottage garden at the Alzheimer's unit of the Eleanor Slater State Hospital. In Who Ya Callin' Yellow?, visit the Tranquil Lake Nursery with Warren Leach and Philip Boucher to view lilies at their peak. Compare the author with her nemesis, the tall, blonde, rich other Martha, with her own publishing and entertaining empire. Prowl about the grounds of Blithewold, the turn-of-the-century Rhode Island seaside mansion, with chief horticulturist Julie Morris. Chat about academia, women, and wildflowers with the legendary Irene Stuckey, retired professor of plant physiology at the University of Rhode Island. For Martha Smith, gardening is not so much about winning prizes as it is about people and the secrets they generously share, and about friendships firmly rooted in a common passion. By the last chapter, readers will have learned many valuable tips about gardening, and will have laughed even more.