When I asked retailers to send questions they’d like to ask consumers, customer service-related topics ranked near the top.

Our consumers enjoyed these questions, so much so that not all their answers would fit on these pages.

Meet this month’s panelists:

Sylvia Martinez, 54, teaches high school drama at a magnet school in Baton Rouge, La. Her ’60s-era house is on a 100-by-200-foot lot, which is a good-sized yard by city standards. She is married with two children.

Rebecca Albers is an accountant in Orange County, Calif. She’s a chief financial officer at a software consulting firm, in her mid-40s and lives in a condo with three continuous patios that could be considered a small yard. She loves container gardening and has dozens of potted plants, from ornamental trees to small annuals.

Natalie Ghidotti lives in the urban area of Little Rock, called Midtown by locals, with her husband and newborn son. The couple bought the house two years ago and have just finished renovations and are now turning their attention to the yard. Ghidotti works in a public relations office and is in her early 30s.

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