Tucson garden thrives from years of heartache

Why would anyone follow the advice of a landscape gardener whos been at it in Tucson for only five years?

Because, Bruce Hyland says, hes made a lot of mistakes in those five years. And he figures he could save a new gardener some time and heartache from those lessons he learned.

Hyland plans to give dozens of tips at his Tuesday talk, Down and Dirty Gardening. Its at the monthly meeting of The Gardeners of Tucson, of which he is a member.

The talk is aimed at new gardeners and those who think they have black thumbs.

I want to help people who have tried and it didnt work, says the retired business executive, consultant and professor, 62. Ive had so many failures, but I dont think its a bad thing.

Instead, Hyland has rediscovered the joy of gardening, something he avoided after leaving his tiny hometown of Haddam, Kansas.

As a teen and young adult, Hyland was known as the lawn mower king as he tended the gardens and lawns of all the old ladies in town.

The business paid his way to college. But once he started attending university, he was done with gardening. I swore I would never touch a plant as long as I lived, he says.

Thats not to say he didnt like gardens, but he had other people take care of his yards. That included while he lived eight years in Tucson in the 1980s as a manager and 22 years in San Francisco.

Fast forward to 2009, when Hyland was ready to retire. He decided to move back to Tucson. I always knew this was my spot on Earth, he says.

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Tucson garden thrives from years of heartache