Re: OT:An Iris Thanksgiving-2001-rather long
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk]OT:An Iris Thanksgiving-2001-rather long
- From: W* W*
- Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 19:56:09 -0600
Nice post, Betty. Maybe one of these years, my wife and I will point the
motorcycles east and slip out of the Missouri Ozarks for a visit during
rebloom time. (I've got a collection of 160 iris or so started, but not
a sign of a rebloom yet!).
Enjoyed your walk down memory lane. Can't remember the first iris I ever
saw. The bug just kind of snuck up on me... ;-)
Bill Wells
storylade@aol.com wrote:
> An Iris Thanksgiving/2001
>
> First, I would like to thank my Grandma Ward, who died when I was 3
> months
> old, for her love of plants. She had arthritis so bad her ankles were
> frozen
> in place. I'm told it made everything she did awkward and difficult.
> Now
> that I have arthritis, I know it also made life quite painful. Yet,
> she
> managed to cover her large yard with nearly everything beautiful that
> grew in
> her native Kentucky. When she moved across country to Eastern
> Arkansas, she
> brought two wagon loads of plants: Japonica, Virginia Creeper, Rose of
>
> Sharon, Peonies, Roses, Mums & and many others I can't remember. (I
> use
> capital letters to denote their importance–to me ;-)
>
> When I moved to the farm house at the age of five, it was early April.
>
> Grandpa had planted elm trees along the south side of the house and
> yard,
> with pecan trees in back, and pear & damson plum trees down one side.
> Between the pear trees were grapevines growing on a large trellis. I
> recall
> an over-grown tangled mass surrounding the house with large thickets
> of
> lilacs tangled with Virginia Creeper and Rambling Roses. The Japonica
> had
> taken over one entire corner of the yard. Grandpa, busy with the
> farm, had
> no time for maintaining the yard after grandma's death.
>
> Next, I thank my mother for taking on the task of bringing order to
> all this
> chaos and creating the plant wonderland I came to know and love. I,
> also,
> want to thank her for nurturing my love of plants and all things
> beautiful.
> I've a picture of her in later years with her snow white hair framed
> by her
> roses in the background and a mass planting of red scarlet sage in
> full bloom
> in the foreground.
>
> The spring I was fourteen, I walked down the road one Sunday morning
> to ride
> to church with our neighbors. As was the case those days, I was
> early. With
> her permission, I spent my waiting time exploring Mrs. Hawkin's
> garden. I
> was surprised to see so many plants I didn't recognize. About half
> way down
> one garden row I spotted a plant with blue flowers. My heart stood
> still. I
> was in love! As soon as Mrs. Hawkins emerged from the house I asked
> her what
> type of flower that was. She said, "Betty, haven't you seen an iris
> before?"
> She offered me a start of her irises that fall, which I eagerly
> took. She
> also gave me some forsythia and red honeysuckle, but that's another
> beautiful
> story. Thanks, Mrs. Hawkins.
>
> For years, I yearned for irises with bright colors, mainly orange, but
> my
> heart belonged to the bi-tone blues. One day the postman delivered my
>
> Organic Gardening magazine with a Schriener's add on the back page.
> Mr.
> Postman, the advertising staff of Organic Gardening, and Schreiners,
> you
> filled my life with a rainbow of irises— I thank you.
>
> The next year, my oldest daughter spotted an add for a local iris show
> being
> presented by SKIS. Thanks, Sherri. At that show, I met Jim Bingham
> who,
> eventually, challenged me to start hybridizing. I don't believe he
> could
> have guessed what he was starting! Still, he gives me garden space to
>
> continue my madness. Thanks.
>
> I want to thank the rebloom friends I've met through the mail,
> telephone, and
> e-mail. I'll mention a few by name. Dr. Lloyd Zurbrigg, I admire your
> focus
> through the years, and thanks for all the great rebloomers. Dr.
> Raymond
> Smith, you were a great pen-pal, and a delightful person. You are
> missed.
> Monty Byers, I want to thank you for everything you gave the iris
> world, but
> most of all your enthusiasm and boundless energy. I miss all the
> information
> you recorded and passed on through your catalogs and letters. Oh, yes
> . . .
> Keith Keppel, although you don't breed rebloomers, thanks for the
> picture of
> the iris compost pile. It gave me courage when the dogs kept coming!
>
> I want to thank my youngest daughter, Tara, for keeping me straight on
> the
> colors I don't like. Also, I must thank the tiller operator in those
> early
> days, my ex-husband, and my tiller operator today, my son Chris. I
> couldn't
> have done it without either of you.
>
> I want to thank all the iris people who dissed my goals and dreams.
> You hurt
> my feelings, but gave me stronger resolve. I might have lost interest
>
> without you!
>
> As I near the end of my ramblings, I want to thank the good people of
> Iris-Talk. I want to thank Tom Dillard for starting the original
> list, and I
> want to thank John Jones who donates his time and energy to keep
> things
> running smoothly, today. And, thanks to the community of iris lovers
> for
> being here. Iris-Talk has helped me through a difficult time in my
> life.
>
> *******
> For those who are wondering . . . no, I'm not someone famous, and I'm
> not an
> accomplished hybridizer. I'm just another iris lover who's thankful
> for the
> day, and the freedom to pursue happiness any way I chose!
>
> Betty Wilkerson in Bowling Green, KY
>
> Betty from BG KY USA Zone 6
>
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