I got this book as a gift today and I sneaked into the first pages of it and it is blowing my mind. I could quote to you the whole dang first three pages just to prove it to you, but let me just give you this little bit:
There are no green thumbs or black thumbs. There are only gardeners and non-gardeners. Gardeners are the ones who ruin after ruin get on with the high defiance of nature herself, creating, in the very face of her chaos and tornado, the bower of roses and the pride of irises. It sounds very well to garden a “natural way.” You may see the natural way in any desert, any swamp, any leech-filled laurel hell. Defiance, on the other hand, is what makes gardeners.
Tiny Cat Pants 
*swoon*
I agree…This is why I love bonsai. It’s held up as this thing that only those with green thumbs can do, but…my experience with bonsai has been very different. It is the only gardening experience that offers total control, and has easy to follow “rules” for success. Of course, I’ve been lucky to find a great bonsai community with super tips for gardening at http://www.learning2bonsai.com/ so…maybe it’s more than just being easy. I’ve taken the time to learn…and the results are great!
I had a senior moment and thought you were reading Henry Miller. Imagine me sitting at my desk looking puzzled, trying to remember what he had against trees!