This post was writen by Victor Yocco, former employee of the Prairie Nature Center. Victor remains an avid visitor and volunteer for the PNC. Please enjoy his humorous and colorful description of transplanting plants.
I awoke this morning with a knot in the pit of my stomach. Today was a day I had been dreading for quite a while; a day that fate had dealt me what I consider to be quite an unfair hand. Today was the day that I was scheduled to give my Native Ohio Prairie plants up for adoption.
You see a few months ago I decided to move from the house I am currently renting. Unfortunately the new house has no real room for the amount of plants that I had growing at my old house. Big beautiful clumps of Green Coneflower, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Common Milkweed, Royal Catchfly, Blue Vervain, etc. Yes, the new house was going to make me unfit for being a Prairie Plant Parent (PPP).
Once I realized that I was not able to sustain my PPP status in my new apartment, I immediately contemplated fleeing the country with my plants. That wouldn’t work, they’d need water and native plants are famous for their complaining on long drives. Hmmm, maybe I could dress them up like cats and sneak them into my new apartment? No that wouldn’t work, I’d look like the crazy cat granny, plus I’d have to pay $50 per plant/cat extra a month. It seemed the only solution to my quandary was to do what is sometimes the only thing that a PPP who truly loves their plants can do: give them up for adoption.
I know, I know, shock, awe, and a stomach churning jolt. How could I give these guys up so easily after having them in the ground for over a year? Well, don’t be so quick to judge, I spent many a sleepless night before making the decision.
Although I had made the choice to give my greens up to someone more responsible this wasn’t the end of the gut wrenching decisions. Who should I allow to have them? Where would I find a willing and able taker? Is it illegal to sell them on Ebay?
Fortunately a solution was lying for me on the very grounds that my greens were spawned: The Prairie Nature Center at The Ohio State University Marion Campus (TPNC@TOSU-MC).
You see I purchased my newborns at the 2008 version of the Annual Plants Sale at TPNC@TOSU-MC. I know from experience that Emily Meyer and the rest of her staff know how to care for prairie plants. I’ve seen her nurse a wounded rattlesnake master back to health, wipe the tears away from a sad butterfly weed, and give a pep talk to a black eye Susan with low self esteem. TPNC@TOSU-MC is definitely a sanctuary for native plants.
Once I had made the decision to give up the greens and who I was going to give them to I began feeling a little better about things. I had Emily come visit the plants on a few occasions so that they could begin to bond. She took them out for ice cream one afternoon, I didn’t ask them what she talked about because leading experts in plant adoption say you shouldn’t meddle in the new parents business; however, the greens seemed perky and fine with the fact that they would soon be relocated.
So, this afternoon Emily arrived at my old place with two shovels, smiling and ready to go. She made a few jokes to try to lighten the mood, I half heartedly smiled. This was going to hurt.
Scoop…dig…plop
Scoop…dig…plop
Scoop…dig…plop
Out comes one patch of greens. No crying, no shouting, nothing. Oh My! Are they still alive? I bent down to feel the plants stems for signs of life. Whew! They were alive but needing care badly.
Back to work at the expansion: we quickly shovel dirt out making holes for the new transplants. The rest of the prairie has come alive with the buzz of our activity. The newly bloomed sundrops and yarrow are saying hello to my greens, who are lying, gasping for air and water. I hear a grey headed coneflower ask my common milkweed what it’s name is. Eventually we have enough holes dug for all of the plants. We begin the painstaking and delicate task of implanting my greens into the prairie.
Fortunately it is the perfect day for such a sad task. The sky is overcast so the greens are not wilting as fast as they would have under a hot summer sun. Also, the forecast is for rain within the next few hours and for that rain to continue over the next two days. Wonderful!
Finally all of my greens are firmly planted in their new homes.
I decide to do the only thing I thought appropriate: I went to each newly implanted clump of greens, told them goodbye and promised I would visit frequently.