There are lots of good reasons to work in your garden, but one of the best reasons is ... the people who walk by while you do.

It is hard, in the heat of late summer, when the garden is a mess and the mosquitoes are relentless, to gin up the motivation to spend a day in the garden.

But your neighbors, strangers and passersby can make it worthwhile.

My neighbors Ruth, Patsy, Ginger and Bob are reasons to take a break, stand in the shade and talk. One or more of them is always outdoors, and they always give me an excuse to talk about the other subject of which I am so fond...my kids.

But three times in the last couple of weeks, complete strangers, out jogging, walking the dog, the husband or the kids, have stopped by to tell me how much my gardens mean to them.

"Even in winter," the woman jogger stopped to say, breathlessly, "I know I will see something in your garden. I wait for the hellebores."

I am embarrassed and I laugh and say that if they like my garden so much, they are welcome to stop and help me with my chores. Then I thank them and tell them that their words will keep me going.

Gardening isn't about snipping roses and placing them gently in a basket on your arm. Gardening is hard, sweaty, dirty work. And the rewards, especially in late summer, can be few and far between.

Sometimes those rewards are walking up the street to see you, and to saw something nice about your gardens.