Fresh garden fruits and vegetables and colorful swaths of blooms are only part of the impulse for the gardener to dig in the dirt. The temptations and rewards are as individual as the gardener. I’ve confessed to a collector’s impulse (hey! I did NOT say “a hoarder’s impulse”), which moves me to acquire many—indeed, sometimes way too many—species and varieties of a plant type in order to experience with my own hands its range of peculiarities, requirements and rewards. It provides an avenue for pursuing new knowledge and experience, and frequently introduces us to new people with similar pursuits and impulses.

The title for this article was inspired by my friend, Alice Massey, a former contributor to this column who recently moved near Jacksonville, Florida. Many of us were the recipients of the pots she couldn’t take with her. She is a passionate and inspired gardener, but her new temporary home is a rental. A real challenge for a passionate gardener. But she’s up to it. She loves pots.