Words to grow by

Gardening, life and work are intertwined for garden entrepreneur Sarah Buerkley. Here are her tips:

Start small, but start. "I started my garden with three daylilies, and I thought that was the biggest deal," Buerkley said. The same advice has served her well in business, she said. "Don't put in a lot of money or take out huge loans; that takes the fun out of it," she said. "I ran my business out of my Suburban."

Less is more. That's her philosophy on turf grass. "Grass is good for tearing out," she said. "A garden is more beautiful and lower-maintenance than a lawn."

Spread the beauty. "I play around with groundcovers to see what will cover well and not take a lot of maintenance," she said. She likes creeping sedum and creeping phlox.

Let it be. Buerkley used to cut her plants back every fall. But she stopped last year. "Lately, the U of M says don't cut it all back. It holds the snow and helps insulate," she said. "Now I deadhead in the fall, but don't cut back foliage. Then I clean it up in the spring."