Sidewalk gardener

On our way to the waterfront, we noticed a gardener preparing to plant around the base of a street tree on Bleecker Street at West 11th.  We stopped and chatted for a few minutes.  I asked him how he decided on what to plant and he said his decision is based on three factors:

1. Experience and what worked well in previous seasons,

2. What looks good at the nursery, and

3. Colors that match the cupcakes (I assumed he meant the frosting on the cupcakes sold by Magnolia Bakery).