I had a nice stroll down memory lane today, recalling how fun it was last spring when my friend Jenny called and asked if I wanted any bulbs. “Come on over,” she said. “Okay!” I replied. She gave me so many irises, ajuga, daffodils, daylilies, and nandinas that she had to follow me home with her trunk filled, too.
This week’s Optimistic Gardener talks about the importance of sharing plants among friends, and the stories those plants have to tell. Jenny’s irises are at least five or six decades and four generations old, and the red cannas Pat Decator is sharing with Denise Effrein are a century old. When I ran into Denise while on a walk, her car was filled with irises (from another friend down the way) and Pat’s canna lilies.
And then there’s Maggie Zwilling–my former supervisor at CCCC, a good friend, and to top it off, a real pistol–who found out I was writing about sharing plants and brought over about 30 gladiolus and rain lily bulbs. There are so many things in life to be thankful for, and good friends are definitely top of the list. Quite frankly, it feels as good to share plants as it does to receive them.
Jenny’s irises in my garden. 
Jenny’s irises in my garden. 
Jenny’s irises in my garden. 
A glimpse of irises in Jenny’s garden. 
Jenny in her own iris garden. 
Pat’s canna lilies. 
Pat’s canna lilies.
What plants are you sharing? What’s their story?
Resources:
- Old Farmer’s Almanac | Growing Irises
- NC Coop Extension – Chatham | Bearded Iris for the Home Landscape
- Old Farmer’s Almanac | Growing Cannas
- NC Coop Extension – Chatham | Summer and Fall Flowering Bulbs for the Landscape
- CN+R | Garden Yarns
The Optimistic Gardener 