common gardening terms used in business

Weed out

Eliminate the less worthy, (remove the weeds from the flower bed)

“The personnel manager has to finish weeding out the job candidates by Friday.”

Plant a seed

State a new idea, but follow up with details at a later date

“Ueno-san planted the seed for his proposal, but won't explain it fully until the next board meeting.”

Reap what one sows

Get the outcome one deserves

“Uchiya-san reaped what she sowed; her thorough preparation made her presentation a huge success.”

Also used negatively, “No one was surprised when Kaz was fired for missing work; he reaped what he sowed.”

Fruits of one's labor

Rewards for hard work, or profits

“Mune-san, our accountant, estimates that we won't enjoy the fruits of our labor until mass production begins in 2005.”

Everything's coming up roses

All looks very positive, optimistic

“Tomoko-san's hard work on the export project is the reason everything is coming up roses.”