No to corm waste
This blog post is a follow up to an earlier post I had written about pawning off unwanted Crocosmia corms (underground stems). Loaded with piles of corms, I wanted to see if I could sell some online. And I did, specifically, on Facebook Marketplace. It was easy during a pandemic with gardeners looking for a deal and some distraction.
It didn’t make me rich but that was never the plan. I wanted to write a new blog post and, at the same time, avoid wasting perfectly good perennials, rescued from a renovation project.
In the process I found out that this sort of activity was an excellent way to meet 60+ female gardeners who would eagerly message me about cheap or free Crocosmia corms; and later meet me in a dark recreation center parking lot, armed with masks and bags.
My first Crocosmia corm transplant
As it happened, this was my first Crocosmia corm rescue. I made some pocket change, gave away lots of them and snuck a few into my clients’ gardens as a test. I had no idea how the corms would react. Would they flower or skip flowering this summer? How deep exactly do we plant the underground stems?
To be honest, I was horrified by the prospect of women calling me back, like spurned lovers, and complaining about the corms I had sold them. Luckily, I needn’t have worried because the Crocosmias flowered nicely on a commercial site I maintain.
Obviously, it’s not a show garden but I managed to plug up a hole with free perennials that would otherwise have been recycled. Test completed.
And, I’m happy to report, in Rachel’s garden, whose frugal husband doesn’t allow her to buy new plants. Just imagine how happy she was to get two huge clumps of perennial Crocosmias for free. Now they will flower every summer! That’s landscape pro Vas spreading love and saving perennials from doom.
Be like Vas
I hate to waste perfectly good plants. Be like me, share. You can sell some online easily; or give them away to friends and even strangers. You might even learn something new.
There is tons of demand for plants during a pandemic. People love plants, especially when they’re free perennials. Female gardeners love Crocosmias so much, they will meet you in a dark parking lot to get some.
Share!
