How Miss Saigon Got In My Cart

'Miss Saigon' Dutch iris bulbs. 

The name sucked me in, but the photo on the bag 

forced me to find room in the grocery budget for these.

If they don't come up looking EXACTLY like this - 

then I'll dig up every one and dump them in the Walmart parking lot.

The majority of the bag went into a summer container, a few in the patio garden, and a couple

out in the border garden, as a reserve. 

So far, I've only gotten a few teasing signs of life in the container, nothing more. To tell the
truth, I've forgotten exactly where I put them in the border garden, so those probably
won't survive the summer's hoeing. 

ANYway, at the same time, I finally had THESE!!!

*

Thanks to the seedpods Kate generously gave, and many frustrated attempts 

at sprouting false indigo. I've had two or three thready stalks for the last two years, and I expected them to 

be completely gone after the winter we had. But this year ... there's a big stand out there!
Turns out they're sturdy and long-lasting in an arrangement or small bouquet.

*Several American Indian tribes have made use of the plant for a variety of purposes. The Cherokees used it as a source of blue dye, a practice later copied by European settlers. They also would use the roots in teas as a purgative or to treat tooth aches and nausea, while the Osage made an eyewash with the plant.