Radical Prunings Quotes

“After all, as a toddler was not a dandelion bloom the first object of nature you deemed beautiful and valuable enough to present as a gift to the person you loved most in the world, your mother? And did your mother not put the blossom in a glass of water and set it where she could admire it while she washed dishes? I fear that suburban children whose yards are subject to Four-Step chemical programs will never hold a dandelion flower -- let alone a buttercup -- under each other's chins to see the intense yellow election which signifies that one loves butter. (Who doesn't love butter?) Nor will then puff on the ethereal seed head, startline the cat and sending the little tufts of silk off on their mission.”
― Bonnie Thomas Abbott, Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost

“Next time . . . get cereus about night blooming”
― Bonnie Thomas Abbott, Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost

“Put the house up for sale immediately before your soul is sucked out through your nasal passages. Run. Save yourself.”
― Bonnie Thomas Abbott, Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost

“The only advice I have to offer our friend Wiley is to hire a professional tree-removal company to dig out the clump, or, if you're on a budget, detonate a do-it-yourself thermonuclear device.”
― Bonnie Thomas Abbott, Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost

“Always give yourself permission to rearrange or remove whatever displeases you in your own garden.”
― Bonnie Thomas Abbott, Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost

“Because we gardeners are exhibitionists. The first thing we do when our friends come to call is show off our gardens, pointing out every new acquisition (we are shamelessly acquisitive), not leaving out any details about price and the difficulty of the pursuit. And if we know our friends well enough, we inspect their gardens before we even ring the doorbell. There's no triumph in getting all dolled up in a new frock just to spend the evening alone.”
― Bonnie Thomas Abbott, Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost