It All Started With a Gift!
A gift of a dried up piece of “something” covered with clumps of dirt, green appendages and hair growing out of it.
A Special Gift!
A strange “gift” from my dear friend Jean. She explained that it was just a small gift from the garden of her mother who recently passed away, and that she hoped I would enjoy it.
“Her mother had the most amazing garden – admired by her family and the entire neighborhood,” she shared. She was getting ready to sell her mother’s house, but was having a hard time handling the thought of leaving the garden behind. The garden was her mother’s pride and joy!
After a great deal of contemplation, she decided she would “share” her mother’s love of gardening with her friends and family – a “gift” from her mother’s garden and her mother would not be forgotten!
Well, I took the “strange” gift home. For a week it stayed in a bucket in the garage – right next to the garbage can. I contemplated throwing it out, as I had no idea what to do with it, until one day my conscience got the better of me and I decided – if it was so important for my friend Jean to share her mother with me – the least I could do was plant it somewhere. So that day, the strange “gift” from my friend Jean – with its clumps of dirt and strange appendices – was planted next to some trees in the yard.
As the following spring approached, that “clump” of dirt started growing, and within a few weeks turned into an amazing flower. Showing it off to my neighbor and gardening “expert” Julie, she informed me that the “flower” was an Iris; to be more precise – a bearded German Iris. She claimed it was one of the most common flowers found in gardens and that it flowers in the spring. It multiplies fairly quickly and within a couple years it should double or even triple in size! She also shared with me some tips on how – with the proper sunlight - my “Iris” would flourish and then suggested that I move it to a sunny area. where it would multiply and . . . show off its true beauty the following spring!
The next spring – in its new location ”Iris” did indeed show off her true beauty. That strange gift . . . a little “clump of dirt” and the right location turned out to be a great gift that has multiplied many times and brought me enjoyment over the years! “Iris” who started out in Jean’s mother’s garden, now has family in all my friend’s gardens from Michigan to North Carolina.
