I know I shouldn’t take it personally, but for whatever I can’t seem to keep a basil plant alive in my herb garden. Rosemary? Huge plant in the front yard. Parsley? Enough to make pesto into the next decade. But basil and I don’t seem to be on the same gardening page. Enter Amanda Thomsen, author of “Kiss My Aster.” Amanda is a landscape designer with a simple message: the garden is our friend, and there’s no need to be afraid of making mistakes. She wants us to have fun with what we do, and that starts with a look at her unique book…and its name.

   It looks like a cartoon guide to gardening for dummies. This is probably why I find it so user-friendly. But the approach is very hands on and full speed ahead. Start with what you’re comfortable doing, likes that herb garden you’ve always wanted and can accomplish in a weekend. Then we can move on to bigger and better things. Or not. But Kiss My Aster can help you put your personal stamp on even a postage size yard, or container garden on the patio. And it’s always okay to “honor” what your neighbor is doing. Some call that stealing, Amanda calls it yardstalking. Much nicer.

   It’s fun and informative, covering a lot. Start to finish in the yard including how and where to start, ideas outside the box, sustainability and even something for our inner hippie. Peace, love and dirt. Somehow that works. Amanda is full of the right attitude and that’s what made talking with her so much fun. Hear it all here.

   How about sending along a few pics of what you’ve done in your yard? The more creative the better and we’ll choose one to receive a copy of Kiss My Aster. You don’t even have to share the ideas with your neighbor, unless you want to. Send those to ann.kelly@coxmg.com by Thursday at 5 pm.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered.  – Ralph Waldo Emerson