A slight plant obsession

From Hoe Naomi:

Ever spend too much time trying to get something without paying for it, just to realize that you may have spent more money trying to save money than if you'd just gone out and bought it in the first place? Well, I did that this weekend. Ever since I've moved to the sticks, I've also become a Craigslist addict. I love a good deal, and free is the best kind of deal there is, right? Add that to my slight plant obsession, and my little bit of stubbornness, and you've got a recipe for some interesting experiences.

This past weekend, I had the chance to get a free plant. Whoopee! It was a pampas grass, kind of like this.



It was located in Cedar Park, and was anxiously waiting for me to dig up and transplant. The nice lady who was giving it away initially said it was a bout 3 ft. tall. Well, women (including myself) obviously have no sense of size and proportion, because when I got there, the plant was at least 6 ft. tall at the top, and 6 ft. around. Not the kind of thing that would easily come up with just me and my shovel, right? I was not about to give up though - I told her I would get it and get it I would.

So I began to dig. Luckily for me, the center of the plant was dead and mainly woody stem, so I just had to get the exterior ring of plant. I got about 1/3 of the way through and had to call my husband (who does not share the same plant fanaticism as me) and told him I needed help. While waiting for him to show, I got another 1/3 of the way through. Good thing these are fairly shallow rooted plants! Wouldn't you know - he shows up and in ten minutes (no lie), he pops the rest of the plant out, and even digs up the woody center. I love men, but sometimes I hate them, you know? I am no dainty girl and can heft some pretty big weight, but he and his mighty new shovel (he does like his yard toys) came and did in 10 minutes what would have taken me another 45 at least. Geez.

Before we left, the nice lady also offered us pups off of her sago palm. I didn't even try to cut them off. I let hubby and tool pop about eight pups off the palm, quick and easy. After admiring the nice lady's dogs, we loaded up our goodies, he went home and I went on another adventure.

My third destination was actually close (I thought) to my second destination, which was a store I had to do a mystery shop in. (I mystery shop as a PT job, in addition to my FT job.) Little did I know that Bee Cave, TX is NOT necessarily on Bee Cave Rd. in South Austin. Now, I already live way north of Austin, and now I'm in South Austin for the mystery shop, then find myself driving another 15 or so miles to some discount plant place. I keep passing signs that say "Bee Cave - XXX miles" and thinking to myself, "This is WAY out here. Maybe I shoudl turn around an go home." But, I'm already committed to going, and leaving now would mean I've wasted the thirty or minutes for the driving.

After passing the little entrance three times, I finally get to the plant place, and I have found a treasure trove of cheap plants. The guy is a buyer for old plants from large retailers - Lowe's, Home Depot, etc... In some cities, these places will discount their own plants when they get old and sell them cheap to regular folks like me. In Austin, I've found that they don't do that, but now I know they sell to these "brokers" who then re-sell them to the public. I spent about $40.00 and got about 45 plants (the ones that normally go for $4-7 each), plus a beautiful knockout rose bush. I loaded up the plants on top of the pampas grass in the trunk of my poor SUV, and drove home.

Thinking about it later, and considering the time I spent traipsing about (4.5 hours and the miles (all told, about 75) and gas prices ($3.50 per gallon here), I realize it might have been cheaper to buy at the Lowe's down the street. But, I also realized that there are some intangible things you get on these types of trips - I met a wonderful lady who happens to be a pet groomer who will probably get the pleasure of dealing with my three dogs next time they need their nails cut, and I found a great plant place to take the other Hoes to on a road trip day. Plus, I found an Irish restaurant if I ever want to eat real Irish food, and had a great scenic drive (read - potential to get lost) that I had never driven before. Had I stayed near the house, I never would have found any of this. Plus, now I have plants to share - life is good.