HIST: cemetary irises - a new sighting & long tale
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- Subject: HIST: cemetary irises - a new sighting & long tale
- From: D* E*
- Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 23:24:54 -0500
Hello Folks,
Taking a relative home this evening by the shortest route (dirt roads)
I came across a cemetery being reclaimed from the brush, cactus,
briars and weeds. It is located off the road in what has surely been
a cow pasture for quite some time. Set off the roadway by about 12
car lengths, I just caught a glimpse through the clearing. Couldn't
resist stopping and looking around. The newest graves proved to be
closest to the road. At 1957 and 1965 respectively for Mr. and Mrs.
Carlisle, they proved to be by far the most recent. Only one other
couple had a date subsequent to the teens and twenties, that being
a Mrs. Smith in 1937 following her husband in 1927. The cemetery
appears to contain 25 - 30 graves with all those bearing readable
dates being in the teens and twenties. About half the cemetery is
cleared. On nearly all the older graves are irises. You can spot
graves in the underbrush and in the briars by seeing clumps of them
still surviving. They make a more visible indicator of a gravesite than
the small stones or metal wedges (these latter pretty derelict) which
can be seen on closer examination. I credit whoever is doing the
clearing because at this point, at least, the irises are being cleaned
around and growth and weeds being removed from among the stands
of iris rather than the whole lot just being run over with a mower. This
interests me because while iris are quite common in old cemeteries
in this county, most have not been as inactive as this one. Some not
actively used now still were used on up into the forties and fifties before
more urban cemeteries became the preferred resting places. With the
noted exceptions, this one was apparently primarily used in the twenties
and from looking at the irises, I'm guessing all these rhizomes are the
increases from irises planted during that time. They looked pretty healthy
and in good shape at the moment. I hope I get a chance to compare
these with some that survive in a few other old cemeteries and see if
perhaps these look a bit different (maybe older?).
Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7, USA and wondering if any of the new iris cultivars will
survive as well. BUGLES AND HORNS sounds a good name for a
cemetery iris, I think. And white instead of purple.
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