Love this thread, and I have a gem to add:
A wise friend tells me "There are two types of gardeners, landscapers and collectors" So, of course those of us who want cottage gardens, and want one of every type of plant that might possibly grow there, we are collectors. We know it will look fabulous if every plant grows nicely.
It's also possible that when "opposites attract" and people marry someone who has complementary qualities to their own, you often get one landscaper and one collector in each couple. My DH is an engineer, very fond of straight lines, symmetry and neat and tidy edges. Luckily for me, he is not interested in gardening, and is happy as long as he can walk around the garden without "any plants touching me".
He's wonderful about building and inventing things to help me in my endeavors, I will admit. He loves to buy tools of course, and recently bought something that makes both of us very happy - a rechargeable leaf blower. Battery lasts just long enough to do the pathways around half the house. I have two batteries. So nice not to have to wrangle a power cord.
