Tell me not what I'm doing wrong, Give good successful leads, Those that he with a green thumb knows, And, to be successful, heeds.

-- John H. Littlefield, Sacramento

Make friends with the Pest and Potato Cultivate Peace: Garden NATO No moth, me thinks can rival the sphinx She just needs the seeds of tomato

-- Heidi Perryman, Volcano

Pale blooms of deceptive charm

With Bindweed I find the need to rid it from my Garden. How unfortunate from the slightest bit it roots & twines & strangles!

Take heed my fellow gardeners this plant is not for weed pardoners.

If this plant is there rototill with care or you'll spread it and regret it.

Day and night I work to smite Convolvulus arvensis The roots I swear cause lumbar wear and chiropractic visits.

-- Janet Simkins, North Highlands

My roses are red And berries are blue

But, there's dirt on my hands And inside my shoe

Mud cakes are baked Into masses of glue

By a grimy she-child And a brother who's two

So we scrub and we bathe Until freckles are few

Then head out again Cause sunflowers grew!

-- Lisa Thibodeau, Lincoln

The Garden of Weeden

Bermudas the worst, I work up a thirst Slaving away in the heat Digging and digging that sprawling flat grass Nut grass a pain in the a-- The more I bend over and pick out the clover I get shot in the eyes with their seed It's frustrating to me but its good therapy And maybe someday I'll succeed

-- By Elaine Grech, Folsom

Dried Flower Arrangement

As I stroll through the nursery, my senses are heightened. Gorgeous annuals beckon but, then, I am frightened by the prospect of flowers sitting out in the sun, not having been watered and the planting not done.

But, there could be a chance for these plants to survive. If they're watered at dawn, they might still revive. Yet, intense summer heat continuously sizzles, and I cringe as my garden assuredly fizzles.

- Virginia Hill, El Dorado Hills

WEEDS

Weeds, I do despise, they often appear wearing a green disguise. Sprouting quickly amongst the squash, tomatoes and chives, oh my goodness! right before my watchful eyes. As I hastily grab my trusty little prong, I proclaim this time I'll show them that they truly don't belong.

-- Thelma Hughes, Antelope

Some call them cinch bugs And some call them stink I won't even repeat The words that I think! They suck all the juice From my lovely raspberries And even get into My favorite cherries. They mate kinda funny By then it's too late Where there was 1 There's gonna be 8!

-- Alice Clinton, Roseville

Ode to Crabgrass

Crabgrass -- oh crabgrass -- why dost thou grow? Your roots are like iron -- they grow deep below.

You grow in my flowers, my shrubs -- even rocks! You're sneaky and ugly and sly as a fox.

Many a gardener would jump up and cheer If you never again made your presence known here.

So go far away -- like across the wide sea And never, never again visit me.

-- Nancy Compton, Rancho Murieta

The Pluot Tree

Yes, Mr. BlueJay I'm happy to share. I'm willing to bargain, A deal that's fair. How 'bout you take the high ones, They're out of my reach. I'll take the low ones, They're good and they're sweet. There's one little problem, I hate to split hairs; Only one bite out of each? What a waste, so unfair!

-- Stacey Black, Davis

Snails

Many a little zinnia has been brought down to its death, By those pails of snails who come out at night so full of deadly stealth. I throw them and I crush them and I leave them bowls of beer, But in the morning when I wake up I almost shed a tear. For there before my bleary eyes are stalks once leaved now bare, And shiny trails as evidence of those who had been there.

-- Annie Lemieux (aka snailslayer), Galt

Tug O' War

He hisses, chokes-- coils into knots as he is dragged behind her.

She tightens his drippy nose, untangling him enough to reach the side yard.

Again and again she straightens out his kinks, increasing his dribble to a steady stream.

Rounding the brick planter he stops suddenly, wedged in cracks.