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The confessions of a rescue mission guerilla

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Category: Garden | Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:28 pm

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I am a thief. You might scold me if you like, but let me explain myself first, and point out that I've never stolen anything before or since.

Once upon a time there was a lovely, park-like garden with plenty of very special trees, bushes, bulbs and plants. When the people who owned it grew old, they willed the whole thing to the community, care of our politicians.

The clause was that the house, out buildings and park were properly maintained and open to the public. Hah!

The area has always been popular for barbeques, walks and play, but as to maintenance... well...

Some years ago I enjoyed an afternoon walk around the property, and spotted some very nice marthagon lilies, astrantiums, aquilegias and wolf's bane growing where the flower beds once were. I went back a couple of weeks later to find that everything had been mowed along with the grass.

The following evening I brought my car, a shovel, my sister-in-law and the dog down. My sister-in-law walked about with the dog, and I set to work trying to save at least something of what had been lost. I managed to find a small astrantium root, a small blue-and-white wolf's bane and a couple of marthagon lily bulbs. Unfortunately, some of the bulbs fell apart when I lifted them, but I carefully collected all the little shells and took them home with me.

My sister-in-law got the whole bulbs and some astrantium. I planted the wolf's bane and astrantium where they hopefully might grow and prosper, and put all the little lily shells in good dirt and waited.

After four or five years, the lilies were big enough to give blooms. The astrantium has been split several times, and is now quite wide-spread. The wolf's bane stands about two meters off the ground (six foot six) and is impressive!

Here are my nicked treasures, photographed last summer:





I've been visiting the site of my crime several times since, and the flowers are still cut with the grass. Am I condemned?


This blog entry has been viewed 128 times

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zuzu's petals wrote on Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:04 pm:

"Am I condemned?"

Yes, :^) you and I both!
And hopefully, we will have to do aeons of penance
tending vast fields of heavenly flowers
to atone for our crimes.

*LOL*

Those are fabulous, Droopy!
And they prove the rule that I was taught as a child:
"Never say Thank You for a plant someone gives you -
plants prefer to be stolen,
and will grow best if they think they have been."

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CritterPainter wrote on Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:45 pm:

My dad's family's dairy farm was given to a university here for reasearch purposes. They turned right around and sold it to the city for a sewage treatment plant. I have no warm place for folks who get handed something wonderful then treat it with disrespect, and I heartily applaude your efforts to rescue those neglected plants!

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eileen wrote on Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:55 pm:

Now now you are definately NOT a theif!! You were simply saving and transplanting bulbs and roots that were otherwise doomed. That's my excuse when I go on a foray into fields or gardens that have been ruined for the sake of 'progress.' Long may we all continue in our mission to rescue all those unloved and maltreated plants!!!!

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glendann wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:06 am:

Good for you.I do the same thing but don't call it stealing.I'm saving lives.

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Netty wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:15 am:

I save lives too :)

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Droopy wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:53 am:

Thank you for supporting my mission. I like plants with a story attached. I always thank people when they share their plants, and they are still growing well for me. I might have blocked their ears without knowing. :D

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Frank wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 11:27 am:

Well done Droopy *claps hands*.

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Biita wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:10 pm:

Droopy think of it this way that elderly couple are probably smiling down at you an thanking you for what you did an for saving their "treasures", an laughing at the city gov. knowing they didn't get the last laugh in mowing it all down. Well done you!!!!

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bethie wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 5:56 pm:

How nice that instead of standing there grieving over the mowing you TOOK ACTION. Now those flowers beauty shine again in the world thanks to you. The fact that they shine in YOUR yard is beside the point. Those martagon lilies are fabulous and ridiculously expensive here. Worth the wait!

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Droopy wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 7:06 pm:

Thank you for supporting my actions. I shall try and stop feeling bad about it now.

Bethie, they are very expensive here, too. I've bought white ones and some hybrids, but I love the rescued ones best, I think. They are true heirloom bulbs.

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dooley wrote on Fri Jan 04, 2008 11:29 pm:

There is some sort of organization that does that. I forget the name though. And they go around planting in places where only weeds grow, vacant lots, roadside edges, etc. They move plants from place to place but only when no one is looking because it's not to be done for recognition or profit. dooley

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Droopy wrote on Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:34 am:

Sounds like an idealistic bunch. We're encouraged not to plant garden flowers in the wild, because they run over the wild flowers. The road maintenance people used to throw lupin seeds in newly made banks, but now they're digging them up and sowing field flowers instead.

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Sjoerd wrote on Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:52 am:

You are not condemned... you are BLRSSED! I think that it is scandulous that the local government had let the flower beds go to seed. it is so thankless.
Boy, if I were there, I'd organize a group to maintain those beds myself, and shame the governmental body.
What you did was closer to the spirit of the people who willed the land than what the government are doing. Shameful custodians, they are.
...I'll just fold up my collapsible soap box now and shuffle on away....

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Sjoerd wrote on Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:53 am:

P.S. those saves plants and flowers are looking terrific. Well done.

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diene wrote on Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:02 am:

congratulations droopy! I had a similar experience several years ago. I was asked to help weed the gardens attached to Henry Woodworth Longfellow's family home. I was able to take a few plants home with me. Sadly, they have now contracted someone to completely redo the gardens and the first thing they did was rip out all the old plants. The story is they have someone keeping some of the plants and they will be put back but I do wonder.
I would love to know more about the plants you have that flower in the winter. I would love to know more about them. diene

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Droopy wrote on Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:23 am:

Sjoerd, I think somebody tried that, but were told "Thanks but no thanks". Don't put the soap box too far away, I might need to borrow it.

Diene, I sincerely hope that the people have saved the plants. It just seems criminal to take them all away and replace them with something else. Lucky you to have some in your garden. As for winter flowering, well, that depends on the amount of snow and cold we get. Some Hellebores are very early, you might start there.

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