Russ
Istar
I think there's also a counter-point to that argument, however. It's easier to pull back on creative endeavors than it is to push forward. If your prose is a heavy on the purple, you and your editor can pull it back. But if your prose is stale, and it doesn't deliver when it needs to, it's much harder to push and draw out something that isn't yet there.
I think there are pros and cons to both approaches, it depends on the writer. However I don't recall any of the editors that I talk to complaining about running into a lot of dull, lifeless, prose but they sure do complain a great deal about over the top and cliche ridden material!