The path to becoming a gardener.

I remember planting beds of Siberian Iris around Sugar Maples with my stepmother. She wanted to protect the surface roots of the trees. I was enticed by the idea that the Iris might reduce the amount of weeding I would have to do the following summer.

We carefully prepared the new beds and then divided the rhizomes. It was late in the summer and I complained about the Tennessee heat.

My stepmother was patient and kept me at the task at hand. As it turned out, the task took us two very long, hot, humid days.

The following summer we were handsomely rewarded with an abundance of purple 'flags' as we called them. Down through the years, I have watched those iris bloom over-and-over again. I don't complain anymore about dividing iris. You see, the reward was definitely worth the work.

Little did I realize at the time, but that simple summer task put me on the path to becoming a gardener.