diff --git a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
index 87f98d0935762..957775177aec8 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/garbagecollector.go
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/client-go/informers"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/util/workqueue"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller"
-	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/metaonly"
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/reflector/prometheus" // for reflector metric registration
 	// install the prometheus plugin
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/workqueue/prometheus"
@@ -259,24 +258,16 @@ func (gc *GarbageCollector) attemptToDeleteWorker() bool {
 		}
 		// retry if garbage collection of an object failed.
 		gc.attemptToDelete.AddRateLimited(item)
+	} else if !n.isObserved() {
+		// requeue if item hasn't been observed via an informer event yet.
+		// otherwise a virtual node for an item added AND removed during watch reestablishment can get stuck in the graph and never removed.
+		// see https://issue.k8s.io/56121
+		glog.V(5).Infof("item %s hasn't been observed via informer yet", n.identity)
+		gc.attemptToDelete.AddRateLimited(item)
 	}
 	return true
 }
 
-func objectReferenceToMetadataOnlyObject(ref objectReference) *metaonly.MetadataOnlyObject {
-	return &metaonly.MetadataOnlyObject{
-		TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-			APIVersion: ref.APIVersion,
-			Kind:       ref.Kind,
-		},
-		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-			Namespace: ref.Namespace,
-			UID:       ref.UID,
-			Name:      ref.Name,
-		},
-	}
-}
-
 // isDangling check if a reference is pointing to an object that doesn't exist.
 // If isDangling looks up the referenced object at the API server, it also
 // returns its latest state.
@@ -353,15 +344,6 @@ func (gc *GarbageCollector) classifyReferences(item *node, latestReferences []me
 	return solid, dangling, waitingForDependentsDeletion, nil
 }
 
-func (gc *GarbageCollector) generateVirtualDeleteEvent(identity objectReference) {
-	event := &event{
-		eventType: deleteEvent,
-		obj:       objectReferenceToMetadataOnlyObject(identity),
-	}
-	glog.V(5).Infof("generating virtual delete event for %s\n\n", event.obj)
-	gc.dependencyGraphBuilder.enqueueChanges(event)
-}
-
 func ownerRefsToUIDs(refs []metav1.OwnerReference) []types.UID {
 	var ret []types.UID
 	for _, ref := range refs {
@@ -387,7 +369,10 @@ func (gc *GarbageCollector) attemptToDeleteItem(item *node) error {
 		// exist yet, so we need to enqueue a virtual Delete event to remove
 		// the virtual node from GraphBuilder.uidToNode.
 		glog.V(5).Infof("item %v not found, generating a virtual delete event", item.identity)
-		gc.generateVirtualDeleteEvent(item.identity)
+		gc.dependencyGraphBuilder.enqueueVirtualDeleteEvent(item.identity)
+		// since we're manually inserting a delete event to remove this node,
+		// we don't need to keep tracking it as a virtual node and requeueing in attemptToDelete
+		item.markObserved()
 		return nil
 	case err != nil:
 		return err
@@ -395,7 +380,10 @@ func (gc *GarbageCollector) attemptToDeleteItem(item *node) error {
 
 	if latest.GetUID() != item.identity.UID {
 		glog.V(5).Infof("UID doesn't match, item %v not found, generating a virtual delete event", item.identity)
-		gc.generateVirtualDeleteEvent(item.identity)
+		gc.dependencyGraphBuilder.enqueueVirtualDeleteEvent(item.identity)
+		// since we're manually inserting a delete event to remove this node,
+		// we don't need to keep tracking it as a virtual node and requeueing in attemptToDelete
+		item.markObserved()
 		return nil
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph.go b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph.go
index 282256cbdbacb..7282d51b6f63d 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph.go
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ type node struct {
 	// this records if the object's deletionTimestamp is non-nil.
 	beingDeleted     bool
 	beingDeletedLock sync.RWMutex
+	// this records if the object was constructed virtually and never observed via informer event
+	virtual     bool
+	virtualLock sync.RWMutex
 	// when processing an Update event, we need to compare the updated
 	// ownerReferences with the owners recorded in the graph.
 	owners []metav1.OwnerReference
@@ -72,6 +75,17 @@ func (n *node) isBeingDeleted() bool {
 	return n.beingDeleted
 }
 
+func (n *node) markObserved() {
+	n.virtualLock.Lock()
+	defer n.virtualLock.Unlock()
+	n.virtual = false
+}
+func (n *node) isObserved() bool {
+	n.virtualLock.RLock()
+	defer n.virtualLock.RUnlock()
+	return n.virtual == false
+}
+
 func (n *node) markDeletingDependents() {
 	n.deletingDependentsLock.Lock()
 	defer n.deletingDependentsLock.Unlock()
diff --git a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph_builder.go b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph_builder.go
index 355d3dea5fa79..56afc5f5ce919 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph_builder.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/graph_builder.go
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/client-go/informers"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/cache"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/util/workqueue"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller/garbagecollector/metaonly"
 )
 
 type eventType int
@@ -369,8 +370,16 @@ func DefaultIgnoredResources() map[schema.GroupResource]struct{} {
 	return ignoredResources
 }
 
-func (gb *GraphBuilder) enqueueChanges(e *event) {
-	gb.graphChanges.Add(e)
+// enqueueVirtualDeleteEvent is used to add a virtual delete event to be processed for virtual nodes
+// once it is determined they do not have backing objects in storage
+func (gb *GraphBuilder) enqueueVirtualDeleteEvent(ref objectReference) {
+	gb.graphChanges.Add(&event{
+		eventType: deleteEvent,
+		obj: &metaonly.MetadataOnlyObject{
+			TypeMeta:   metav1.TypeMeta{APIVersion: ref.APIVersion, Kind: ref.Kind},
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: ref.Namespace, UID: ref.UID, Name: ref.Name},
+		},
+	})
 }
 
 // addDependentToOwners adds n to owners' dependents list. If the owner does not
@@ -389,6 +398,7 @@ func (gb *GraphBuilder) addDependentToOwners(n *node, owners []metav1.OwnerRefer
 					Namespace:      n.identity.Namespace,
 				},
 				dependents: make(map[*node]struct{}),
+				virtual:    true,
 			}
 			glog.V(5).Infof("add virtual node.identity: %s\n\n", ownerNode.identity)
 			gb.uidToNode.Write(ownerNode)
@@ -591,6 +601,12 @@ func (gb *GraphBuilder) processGraphChanges() bool {
 	glog.V(5).Infof("GraphBuilder process object: %s/%s, namespace %s, name %s, uid %s, event type %v", event.gvk.GroupVersion().String(), event.gvk.Kind, accessor.GetNamespace(), accessor.GetName(), string(accessor.GetUID()), event.eventType)
 	// Check if the node already exsits
 	existingNode, found := gb.uidToNode.Read(accessor.GetUID())
+	if found {
+		// this marks the node as having been observed via an informer event
+		// 1. this depends on graphChanges only containing add/update events from the actual informer
+		// 2. this allows things tracking virtual nodes' existence to stop polling and rely on informer events
+		existingNode.markObserved()
+	}
 	switch {
 	case (event.eventType == addEvent || event.eventType == updateEvent) && !found:
 		newNode := &node{