Beginner Gardening: Tell me: Plants that started a friendship, 1 by pirl

pirl wrote:
When our gardens were on the first Southold Garden Tour one gal was filled with compliments and said she'd love to have a garden but didn't think her property was suited to it. I went over the next week and saw this ancient border of huge plants that had seen their best days 40 years before. Soon she was ripping them out, hauling home truck loads of town mulch, buying plants, having her built in swimming pool filled, had the gazebo erected and hasn't quit yet.

She resists but I think she should name it "The Silk Purse" after the old quote of not being able to make a silk purse from a sow's ear. She certainly created the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen from a very boring scene.