Yesterday I was able to begin cleaning up the gardens. As I raked the soil I found I was spreading a plethora of iris seeds, deposited at the base of the plants last fall as the pods dried and burst open. The seeds are smooth and roundish, and remind me of shiny copper coins when I see them scattered on the soil.
Gardening can be expensive. It doesn’t have to be, though, thanks to the generosity of other gardeners and the generosity of nature. I was very lucky to receive these irises from a friend, who divided them in her own garden and delivered them all the way from South Carolina. Now the plants are doing their own part to multiply. As I watch them spread I look forward to passing some along to another person with a bit of earth to fill.