Lone Survivor: Yellow Iris

This week

Last year, I saw a friend/acquaintance of 30 years. She worked in a place where I often saw her. We became acquainted through a foundation she created. She was that kind of friend, a little closer than an acquaintance.

She was sitting on a bench at Walmart, holding tightly to her purse which was sitting in the cart full of items, all paid for. When I went over and spoke, she brightened, and I sat down. She greeted me warmly and asked me who I was, hastening to explain she was blind.

It seemed she had moved in with her daughter after falling twice. I told her how I admired her yellow iris all down the property line that separated her from a church parking lot. Mowers had taken them down over the years, she said. Yes, I noticed there were few.

When I asked permission to dig a few bulbs, she just asked that I not take them all. I promised.

last year

Above is all I had to work with. I had my trusty shovel and went to work. You know how my back, shoulder and knee need surgery? You see the iris are at the base of a tree? Remember roots? I was killing myself when one of the church members headed my way, all tight-lipped. We both spoke cheery "hellos" while preparing to take each other down..lol.

I was determined to state my case and not take any lip at all. No sirree! I was not going to suffer the indignity of being dressed down, even wrongly. Especially wrongly.  "Maureen (not her name) told me I could take a few of her bulbs when I saw her in Walmart. It's too hot to be digging, wouldn't you say?" The woman relaxed immediately and agreed and headed back to the church after a bit more small talk, just like she only came over to say "hello." I never for a moment got defensive, letting her think I knew I was a suspect in flower-napping.  Besides, I would be stupid to choose Wednesday night, right at Bible Study time with a dozen or more cars already there.

I brought my bulbs home in a small plastic bag and put them outside the door on the ground. Of course, I forgot them right there. The hens found the bag and were relentless in their scratching and pecking. In all honesty, I think I may have thrown crumbs on the bag a couple of times. After that, the hens got the rhizomes and scratched them so they had them thrown all over the yard. I gathered the precious rhizomes again. Of course, who knew they had a thing for throwing rhizomes? I gave up. Did you know they can scratch/kick/scratch one over ten feet? Of course, I had cut all but an inch from the tops.

After digging and a little chopping

About three weeks ago, I was shocked to find in the middle of the yard a rhizome with two little triangular green peeps less that 1/4 inch long. HA! I snatched it up and put dirt in the nearest plastic pot. I plopped the rhizome on it's side and covered with more dirt, about three inches. When I watered it well, it was showing a bit, just right. And did it ever grow!

This one is a beginning if a bed/patch of yellow iris. Yep, it's sad, but beautiful. I need to walk the side yard and poke around in the flower bed to see if any other rhizomes are surviving. I tried to explain what a rhizome looked like to exbf who was still clueless. Finally, I told him it would be white and lumpy, sort of like a root, but blunt.

I wish I had iris in every color, but I only have lavender and this one yellow.

Curiously, the hens have never scratched up the few lavender iris. Wonder why? Loose ones are like toys?

Your turn

Have your hens ever turned your rhizomes into a game? Have they been obsessive about thwarting your gardening attempts?.