Thanks, I'll see if I have the right spot.

After spending a good part of a morning digging up Flag Iris, I think I have learned to say “Thank you, I’ll see if I have the right spot” before accepting plants from generous friends and neighbors. And then I will do some research!

Having spent quite an amount of money buying plants, I was delighted to accept the little yellow iris my neighbor offered a couple of years ago to add to my cutting garden. I was equally delighted the next spring when those little green leaves poked through the ground and grew so vigorously. Indeed the little yellow bloom was very pretty. I wasn’t quite so delighted this spring when the plant was even more vigorous, spreading rapidly. They did bloom, but the flower didn’t last long after cutting and they were sparse compared to the leaves. Recently I read an article on Flag Iris and learned I had a very invasive bed of pseudo irises. Apparently, once they are established, they are very difficult to remove. The article advises to put the plants in a plastic bag and dispose with garbage, not with plant debris to protect against invading streams and rivers. Thus I had 3 large bags for the trash bin this week.

Trying to establish a ground cover for a garden path a few years back, I graciously accepted a few cuttings of a sedum from one of the local garden center owners. Even though it looks very pretty for about a week in early spring, it spreads over the pavers and in the surrounding beds. I try to contain it by mowing, but then it looks ragged the rest of the summer and continues to spread in surrounding beds. I am trying to pull up the invaders, but that is taking more time than I have to give. At the present the path looks ragged and overgrown.

I have had similar experiences with Morning Glories. I love the purple Grandpa Ott. I planted it on my arbor a couple of years ago. It was beautiful. However I have little Morning Glory seedlings everywhere, even in places they were never planted. I am constantly pulling them up.

Orange Road Lilies also spread profusely and are hard to eradicate. They were established when we bought the house. I love the orange color but they are impossible to contain in a small area.

To my dismay, I read on Dave’s Garden that I have planted and am nourishing some other invaders including Black-eyed Susan and Yarrow. I just planted six yarrows this year! Unknowingly, I have divided and shared tons of Black-eyed Susans, I'm sure my friends and co-workers will be considering ways to decline my offers of plants in the future!
Appalachian folklore advises to never say thank you for plants or they will die. I do wish I had remembered to thank those folks who so generously shared their excess plants with me!