Lilies
When I first moved into the house in Pasadena, there was an obvious flowerbed under the front window, and a circular bed around the crape myrtle tree in the front yard. Since I bought in the winter, I decided to ignore both beds through the spring and summer to see what the previous owner had in them. Since nothing germinated, I set about my own re-landscaping plan. In doing so, I discovered that there were, in fact, discreet little bulbs in both beds. Since neither bed was an immediate priority (except to mulch) I left them there. Well, the following season they bloomed into lilies, and have done so every spring since, becoming progressively thicker with each passing year.
Over the years, the crape myrtle did what crape myrtles do, however, and grew out of control, promptly taking over the entire bed. The lilies kept popping up under the foliage, but for the most part, I've just ignored them. (I tend to prefer plants that stay there year-round, even if they're not blooming, so lilies aren't my favorite flower.)
Well, as part of the buyer's request for repairs, they wanted the crape myrtle trimmed to that it doesn't tangle with the electric line. (Can't say as I blame them.) The arborist came by yesterday while I was at work, and I came home to find a much, much leaner tree.
She also trimmed it to re-expose the flower bed after all these years. Lo and behold, my lily bulbs were now (I'm not kidding) the size of grapefruits and protruding up above the ground.
Well, since the flower bed now looked like an abandoned onion patch, and since my iris bed needed to be thinned (again!) anyway, I opted to pull out the oversized lily bulbs and transplant some of the irises over. Looks much, much better now.
But, the upshot of all this is that I now have a paper bag full of ginormous lily bulbs on my back porch if anyone would like some or all of them. (And don't worry, given the way lilies spread, I'm confident that the new owner will discover some popping up among the irises for years to come.) I can transport them to Fresno if the first one to speak up is on that side of the planet, or they can be picked up/delivered locally in Pasadena.
Also, the dryer found a home, but the washer did not. Goodwill no longer takes large appliances, and Out of the Closet only wants ones that are less than 8 years old. So I'm now planning to just call the city for a large-item pickup, but if anyone wants it for parts (and has his wife's permission to bring it into the house), let me know and I won't do so.
Over the years, the crape myrtle did what crape myrtles do, however, and grew out of control, promptly taking over the entire bed. The lilies kept popping up under the foliage, but for the most part, I've just ignored them. (I tend to prefer plants that stay there year-round, even if they're not blooming, so lilies aren't my favorite flower.)
Well, as part of the buyer's request for repairs, they wanted the crape myrtle trimmed to that it doesn't tangle with the electric line. (Can't say as I blame them.) The arborist came by yesterday while I was at work, and I came home to find a much, much leaner tree.
She also trimmed it to re-expose the flower bed after all these years. Lo and behold, my lily bulbs were now (I'm not kidding) the size of grapefruits and protruding up above the ground.
Well, since the flower bed now looked like an abandoned onion patch, and since my iris bed needed to be thinned (again!) anyway, I opted to pull out the oversized lily bulbs and transplant some of the irises over. Looks much, much better now.
But, the upshot of all this is that I now have a paper bag full of ginormous lily bulbs on my back porch if anyone would like some or all of them. (And don't worry, given the way lilies spread, I'm confident that the new owner will discover some popping up among the irises for years to come.) I can transport them to Fresno if the first one to speak up is on that side of the planet, or they can be picked up/delivered locally in Pasadena.
Also, the dryer found a home, but the washer did not. Goodwill no longer takes large appliances, and Out of the Closet only wants ones that are less than 8 years old. So I'm now planning to just call the city for a large-item pickup, but if anyone wants it for parts (and has his wife's permission to bring it into the house), let me know and I won't do so.