Story of a Plant

Everyone knows that I'm a fan of free plants, and part of my job is driving around, so I have the opportunity to find them before they go to the landfill.  There was a dry spell for me for a couple of years as far as finding free plants, but the past year has been really good.  Last spring I picked up a couple hibiscuses and a potted palm.  Later in the summer I picked up a number of houseplants.  In the fall I found a number of alliums and another hibiscus.  Since I don't have good sun in my house, I don't really buy tropical plants.  I pick them up and enjoy them during the warmer months and let nature take its course.  I may spend a little bit of time shuffling them in and out of the garage when freezing weather hits, but usually there's one that I miss and they all die.  With the exception of the first hibiscus I picked up, most of those plants have survived - a few became Christmas gifts.

I found my first free plant of the spring and it is a whopper.  Someone was cleaning out a house and there was a huge planter full of aspidistra (Cast Iron plant) on the curb with the rest of the yard waste.  Since the owner was nearby, I asked if I could have it.  She said I could and offered to help get it in my truck.  I didn't realize how heavy it was - the large clay pot filled with aspidistra must have weighed well over fifty pounds.  Then she said, "I'm glad I cleaned out the wasp's nest before I put it on the street".  I had to drive around for another hour and kept wondering about the wasps - especially after I saw one and killed it, and another and killed it, and another and killed it!

Only three wasps - that wasn't bad, but then I began to worry about if it would fit in my car - I just got a new, smaller car the other day.  Well, it's not that it's smaller, but more like it's less versatile - and being very clean on the inside made it harder for me to wantonly stuff plants into it, knowing that the soil would go everywhere.  I managed to get it home in one piece and keep my car clean (it got dirty when I went to the feed store later), but I had to find a place for it.  Temporarily it is in about the shadiest part of the yard, and I plan to repot it, maybe into two pots, it's so big.  But that will have to wait until my back feels better.  Ouch!