In article ,
Salty Thumb wrote:

Note to people who work at garden centers: Be on the look out for quasi-
geeky, smelly, sweaty guys with hankerchiefs asking for marigolds ...
$$$$$!

Heh.

I think the premise is wrong. If you go out trying to "trick" people,
you will likely not do well even if they *are* knowledgeable. They may
not be as helpful as they could be if they think you are deceitful. I
know that I react badly to people who try to bullshit me or play those
kinds of games.

I tend to rely heavily on advice from friends who do well. You like
your neighbor's garden? Ask him or her who he or she deals with. Often
they will give you a particular name at a particular place, and you can
use their name to help establish a relationship.

The best way to find out in conversation if someone is knowledgeable is
to be knowledgeable yourself. It doesn't take tricks. If you don't
know much, then start by taking some classes. Many garden centers
offer beginners classes, and many community and technical colleges
offer more formal training or "adult education" classes. Once you have
a basic core knowledge base under your belt, people who are total
poseurs become obvious without the need for trick questions.

In my experience, which is admittedly limited in gardening, the
enjoyment in hobby gardening is as much in the *process* as it is in
the final product. If you simply want a specific look to your yard,
hire it done. Most people I know who garden do it because they enjoy
the process of learning and working with plants. That means that, for
a beginner, there is no particular hurry or rush -- there is plenty of
time to take a class and get that core knowledge base yourself.
Once that is done, weeding out the truly ignorant isn't that
hard.


billo