When a Manhattan man saw an area near his neighborhood overrun by weeds and trash, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Andy Deckert has planted around three thousand irises in the area between Miller Parkway Circle and the water tower. In the two years since the project began, Deckert has invested thousands of hours in the iris planting.
The project started after Deckert received a bulb from his daughter. He planted it in the area, and decided to plant a few more. The whole area became occupied and Deckert set his sights on filling the whole area along the sidewalk. Now, it is filled with large swaths of purple irises from western Kansas along with different varieties. He has spent thousands of hours on the project; and while it does not require asmuch time anymore, Deckert says it is hard to limit himself.“It becomes difficult, because sometimes I get lost in the iris…the benefit of seeing what happens is just fantastic,” Deckert remarked in an interview with KMAN. The neighborhood has definitely seen the benefit. On Thursday afternoon, neighbors and City Commissioner Usha Reddi gathered to celebrate his hard work. He was presented a certificate of appreciation from the city council.
“This is what makes Manhattan beautiful,” Reddi said. “He did it because he wanted to, and not for recognition of any kind. This is just his passion, and we are so thankful he did that.” Residents of the neighborhood say they have noticed him working in extreme conditions to care for the garden, and in return trash in the area has started to disappear and the grass is better kept. While Deckert’s commitment to the irises has taken up much of his time, Deckert has received something in return.
“The smiles and the thank-yous are very much worth the effort, frankly,” Deckert said. “What’s really great is how much the people in the area walk by. And they talk to me, and I get to pet their dog.”
Deckert reached his goal of getting to the water tower, and next he plans to go the direction on the other side of the road.
