Never worry about pests until you see them. Then make sure you identify them and know what damage they are going to do. Most of the time I never spray, just accept the damage as part of gardening. This results in a huge decrease of chemical use.

Stuff dies. The difference between a thriving garden and one full of dead plants, is the people with thriving gardens threw away their dead plants and tried again.

Weeds are acceptable. Some are very pretty. I love the violet-clover-lawn in the back. Even the dandelions are beautiful. Manytimes weeds are just filling in niches, not overtaking other plants. If a weed isn’t ugly or offensive, I don’t worry about it.

Weeds are also a lot easier to deal with when they are tiny.

Black plastic mulch is wickedly awesome for vegetable gardens and cheap online. Use bark mulch everywhere else. Unless you are trying to grow penstemons and other plants that hate good, moist soil.

There cannot be too much compost in the garden. Unless you are trying to grow penstemons and other plants that hate good, moist soil.

There are plants that will grow in every situation. So instead of trying to change what you have to get a plant to grow, find a plant that fits the situation.

If a plant is pretty, not encroaching on anything you don’t want,  and you aren’t going to get fruit off  of it, it doesn’t need to be pruned. Except for roses, which is why I really don’t like roses.

Deadheading is usually overkill. But extremely enjoyable if you want to stop and smell the flowers.

Gardens are more meaningful if they are yours: if you planted and cared for the plants. But start small so you can enjoy it and it doesn’t turn into a monster chore.