The holidays are approaching, we are stressed, we are cold, we are sad/depressed, -- you name it. I think we should have a thread to just laugh at the silly things that go on in our iris gardens, and our silly antics with our iris as well. THIS is that thread.

I will start with:

The neighbors cat took a poo right on top of my rhizome of King Tush. While dismayed to have to clean it off, I had to laugh at his rather appropriate choice of target.

(pardons to anyone who might not find this funny)

LOL, I think that is VERY funny. I am sure as I think about it I will come up with something to tickle your funny bone, but at the moment I am coming up empty.

Great idea for a thread though!

Following the "cat" theme........the cats in our neighborhood seem to like using the soil in my iris beds as "litter boxes", too ! ......I've picked up several " what I THOUGHT were rhizomes ......only to discover they WEREN"T rhizomes

Hi, Lori! Missed you.

Hey Lori, good to see you back! Been tied to that truck of yours?

Watch what you reach for, Arlyn.

Hi Lori!

That's funny Arlyn

Arlyn! A reminder to us all to check before picking up! Or even worse -try to replant.

May be you have Cat Call in your collection calling them in! Or Catwalk Queen??

Is there any iris with mouse in their name? Now that would surely be attractive to my tail-less wonder of a neighbors cat! Actually I think he is still mad at me for planting a bunch of iris in his favorite sunning spot. In which case I need Man's Best Friend!

Henry Danielson introduced an Aril-Bred he named DeeMouse. I grew it for a few years in the 70's or 80's. Look it up on the Iris Encyclopedia.

There are eight Iris in the database with Mouse in the name, including Mighty Mouse--which was my favorite cartoon when I was younger.
http://wiki.irises.org/bin/vie...

Mighty Mouse is cute!

Well HI all! I have not been gone, just lurking. I really have not had anything much to say so have just been looking at pretty pictures and waiting on spring!!!

Good to see your smiling face, Lori!

I agree, welcome back!

Now I want funny stories everyone!

Well, we've covered cats.....how about squirrels ?! Several years ago I was planting tulip bulbs as a "border" along the edge of a big perennial bed.........made a deep trench with the hoe, added bone meal, and was " dropping bulbs, and back - filling " as I went down the row. As I was bent over, working, I happened to look between my legs, behind me....and there was a squirrel about 4 feet behind me, munching away on a bulb !......I "gave chase", across the yard, but, as the squirrel was *probably* younger than I, and definitely in better shape. ...he won the race ! That was when I learned that if one plants tulip (or crocus!) ,one must cover the row with chicken wire !

OK, I shared this before, but I'll repeat it here. Those of you as forgetfull as me will be hearing it for the first time again. Last summer when I was on hands and knees weeding an iris patch, my cat Bagheera, jumped up on my back and lay down to sun himself on my back. He stayed there until I had to get up and move, or he might have spent the day.

So true! Your squirrel showed you who was boss!

I have crocus growing all down my back yard thanks to rodents. There are some really old clay drainage pipes that run down toward my creek and the rodents must move along them because the crocus run from the clump I planted and down along the pipeline. Sad part is they grow better on their own than where I planted them!