But, well, working in the garden during most of my free time has often meant that other items on that aforementioned “to do” list... they get neglected. Ignored. Forgotten. Blown Off. And otherwise remain undone, except for the ones my darling husband has taken over. (Once again, a sincere “Thank you,” dear fellow!) And it has created a certain amount of chaos in my non-gardening life.
Some of the results of my garden-fever (for I am willing to acknowledge my interest does reach a feverish intensity sometimes) are simply that laundry gets done late at night, or pizza is ordered more often than usual. Consequences that don’t ruin marriages or create irreparable damage to my ability to function and do my job, but it does sometimes mean that the level of chaos in my household is past my tolerance level, so I have to shift back indoors, and get the details back in order.
'Mild Manner' ( Joseph Ghio, R. 2000) Sdlg. 93-93K4. TB, 34" (86 cm), Midseason late bloom. Standards pink; Falls silvery blue shading to orchid edge, shoulders soft pink; beards coral. 90-19J3: (87-129W3: ((( 'Persian Smoke' x 'Entourage') x (( 'Strawberry Sundae' x ( 'Artiste' x 'Tupelo Honey')) x 'Borderline' sib)) x 'Sweet Musette') x 88-51N: (( 'Cascade Morn' x 80-87N, sib to 'Ardor' pollen parent) x 85-24K2, 'Signpost' sib))) X 'Boudoir'. Bay View 2001. Honorable Mention 2003.
On a recent day that found me doing just that (mail, laundry, dogs, chores, and cooking all claimed me at once!), I was pondering the nature of chaos and order, and how fun the balancing act between the two is. In my life, I really crave order and organization. I like it when things are put away where they belong (especially when I go looking for them), and I like clean windows, and clutter-free work zones. I’m not always indoors enough to maintain the kind of clean and orderly environment that I like, but the extra chaos that results from me being out in my garden... well, I seem to tolerate that.
As a gardener, I crave orderly, tidy beds. No weeds. No pests. No spots too wet or too dry. I’d love it if my rhizomes were uniform in size, and spaced evenly apart, and had the same habits throughout the season... what a fantasy. I begin each bed with a plan that at least has a bit of order in mind, without any OCD practices like measuring the distance between rhizomes, or trimming all my greenery to the same height. I am realistic about what nature does, and I am under no illusion that I can conquer her plan through any plan of my own.
As I was yet again separating rhizomes from my mother’s long-neglected beds, I realized that nature is both chaotic and orderly. Rhizomes grow, develop increases, and bloom in mostly predictable ways. We count on that, we know pretty much when, and how much, and how many when it comes to our iris. Not entirely, of course, Mother Nature is still wild, we certainly haven’t tamed her! But, as I was on my hands and knees, separating rhizomes that were so grown together and impacted that they haven’t bloomed in three years, I was admiring the chaos of the weave they created and the seemingly random way one set climbed on top of another. It was beautiful, chaotic, organic, and altogether natural. Chaos within order within chaos...
'Orange Pop' ( Larry Lauer, R. 1998). Seedling #91-189. BB, 26" (66 cm). Late midseason bloom. Ruffled orange self; beards orange; pronounced sweet fragrance. 'Role Model' X 'Gratuity'. Lauer's Flowers 1998. Honorable Mention 2000; Award of Merit 2002; Knowlton Medal 2004.
I wondered how, if left alone, iris could continue to grow and flourish, since the mess of rhizomes I was separating had been gorgeous and happy in 2010, and such a tangled mess in 2015. How could it be nature’s plan for this plant to survive without someone getting on their hands and knees, separating the rhizomes, and transplanting them a nice distance away from each other every few years?
Whatever the answer, I realized how happy I was to have a role in the plan, to be the one that brings a little order to the chaos of the ‘Iris plan.’ Left alone, they become chaotic, they stop blooming. Iris lovers are needed to tend and care, separate and replant, arrange and maintain. And the reward is seen in the amazing blooms these plants produce when they’re given that little bit of order and care. What fun that is to see and be part of.
Of course, the balance of chaos and order is also and indoor/outdoor struggle for me. The more I’m outdoors keeping things organized and tidy in the garden, the more the indoors suffers for my absence. This time of year, though, Mother Nature is kicking me out of the garden, and giving me the opportunity to get the balance of chaos evened up. Sure, I’ve been spending some of that mandatory indoor time making labels, updating my database, blogging, and doing other things “Iris.” What do you expect? But I’m also bringing down the chaos in my domestic environment, getting projects done, and making my inside life easier and nicer.
Which is good, because once those rhizomes start growing in March, I will be running–not walking–back out in the my garden, and spending my time with Mother Nature again! I know I’m not the only one who feels that way...
Also, any day that it’s not raining, or terribly cold, I will be outside, checking on the beds, changing the balance of chaos indoors for ordering in the garden. The chaos is built in, and I’m ok with that.
'Wintry Sky' ( Keith Keppel, R. 2002). Seedling 95-14A. TB, height 36" (91 cm), Early midseason bloom. Standards steeplechase blue (M&P 43-HG-11) central area shading to light blue (42-AB-6) edge, midrib flushed foxglove (42-GH-9); style arms light blue (42-AB-3); Falls blue white (42-A-1/2), foxglove shading in throat beside beard; beards cream at end, yellow in throat, with blue base; heavily ruffled. 'Crowned Heads' X 91-165A: ( 'Spring Shower' x 'Modern Times'). Keppel 2002. Honorable Mention 2004; Award of Merit 2006; Wister Medal 2010.
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