SPRING is always too rushed for the plain dirt gardener, and this spring seemed somehow more hectic than most.

But to the plain dirt gardener, all flowers seem to be perfect, at least in the eyes of the beholders.

He's a dirt gardener, too.

But since when did a little rain bother a dirt gardener?

In ecological terms, there is plenty of reason to acknowledge a huge connection - not just a plain dirt gardener's observations, but in scientific research.

And visiting garden museums in your area gives you a dirt gardener's sense of local history.

Somewhat in the same tone is "Noah's Garden," by Sara Stein, which describes how plain dirt gardeners can restore the ecology of their own backyards.

Both my grandmothers and my mother called themselves plain dirt gardeners, not plain soil gardeners.

Which is the idea, of course; letting go of reality for a few hours could give a dirt gardener a little inspiration.

But she also has a dirt gardener's knowledge of orchids and roses, and she knows her garden history.