Looking for 6 irises in 5 stuffed cans of landscape waste

15 years ago

It was a beautiful spring day. DH got ambitious and raked out all the front beds. On my treks back and forth to the back yard where I was carefully peeking under mulch to see who was waking up first, I saw 5 big garbage cans full of leaves and debris waiting for the landscape pickup. In the late afternoon, he left to do some grocery shopping and I strolled over to admire his handiwork.

And stopped dead in my tracksÂ.

Where were my new irises? The ones I saw just sprouting out yesterday? I planted 6 new ones in that bed last fall. I knew they did not have much time to root in, so I kept an eye on them all winter to nudge dirt or mulch over their roots whenever they got exposed. I was happy yesterday to see that all had made it through the winter, despite the late planting, and were sprouting bright green new tips.

I waited until he came back, hoping against hope that he would say he had moved them or something; and asked where the irises were. No such luck: he said, "What irises?" So I asked which can was the most likely one he had used for that bed, in the hopes of at least saving some time. He pointed out one and I got to work. No luck on the first, or the second, or the third. Boy, those were really packed. I sifted through it a handful at a time and it was really hard getting it back to the same volume. I found the tags and thought I was getting close, but no. It was not to be.

On the plus side: I did find several well sprouted hyacinths, some daffodils and the tops of quite a number of heuchera. So it was not all wasted effort. I think I was not meant to have iris in that bed.

Goodbye Superstition, Red at Night, and Jamaica: I hope somehow you will bloom in a composting landfill soon.

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Comments (5)

mshadow
15 years ago
OH NO! That would be terrible!! Luckily you were able to save a few things. Maybe he will let you replace them, and next year he will know what they are. I would probably cry.
iris_gal
15 years ago
Glad I'm not hearing the D-v--ce word.
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
15 years ago
I can be somewhat upset, but I canÂt be mad. ItÂs not like he did it on purpose. His intentions were good.

I just thought the idea of painstakingly going through all those cans, looking for 6 little hard lumps, would remind all of you amusingly of similar needle-in-the-haystack events: we all have them at some time.
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
15 years ago
Your sad story reminds me of two things.

First, as a little kid, we had some big vacant lots at the end of the street where people dumped "treasures." One day, I found these bulbs and brought them home. My dad planted them, and they were gorgeous bearded iris and lined the driveway for years!!

Second, my neighbor's son had a Frankel (a dental appliance that cost them bank), and they went to the movie, had popcorn. He took the Frankel out to eat. Of course he left it at the movie. Back they went, and ended up tromping through the trash bin in the back of the theater. Can you imagine? All that sticky junk!! They found the Frankel!!

I'm glad you rescued some of your bulbs!! Maybe some little kid like I was will rescue your others!!
Suzi
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
15 years ago
I was one of those "finders" once! I went as a quite small child with my big brother to browse in a Radio Shack. He was into building radios. I got bored and he let me browse in the vacant lot next store, which was behind a restaurant. I spotted a tomato plant growing in a heap of refuse. I dug it up with a stick. My brother said it was probably not a tomato but I carried it home anyway to show my parents. They said indeed, I was right, and it WAS a tomato, and promptly planted it out in the garden and taught me how to take care of it. My mom was so proud of me for knowing what it was! I was maybe 5. We had great tomatoes from that plant: it turned out to be a beefsteak.

My brother still builds radios, and I, well all of you guys know what I do!

I like to think that those irises will grow on somewhere.