A. Roger Merrill, in the best-selling book First Things First, tells the story of a business consultant friend who was moving into his new home. He decided to hire a friend to landscape the grounds. This friend had a doctorate in horticulture and she was extremely bright and knowledgeable.

"Fred had a great vision for the grounds, but because he was very busy and traveled a lot, he kept emphasizing to [his friend] the need to create his garden in a way that would require little or no maintenance on his part." He said automatic sprinklers were an absolute necessity; he was always on the lookout for laborsaving devices and any other ways of cutting time.

Finally, his friend said, "Fred, I can see what you're saying. But there's one thing you need to deal with before we go any further. If there's no gardener, there's no garden!"