Bleeding Heart

I was mowing the lawn this afternoon when I noticed something new growing under a dogwood in the woods--a bleeding heart (Dicentra)! Very exciting. The goatscaping made it possible for natives like this and the trillium to have some room. But, oh, the irony... I planted a bleeding heart in the front garden a few years ago, and it didn't do well. It looked so pitiful that my husband cut it down while weeding last year. It was an accident--he didn't know what it was. I was hoping it would come up this spring, but so far it hasn't. That made the one in the woods an especially wonderful discovery this evening.

We've been trying to keep the undergrowth in the woods under control since our visit from the goats. Things are still looking pretty good back there, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take the Roundup to the poison ivy. Unfortunately, it's really enjoyed all the open space (where there used to be English ivy and honeysuckle).

Goatscaping

We were out of town for a bit, visiting our daughter who's studying in France this semester. I'll have some pictures, and thoughts on French gardens, soon.

Right before we left for our trip, we had some landscaping done. Our back woods were terribly overgrown with brambles, English ivy, and holly bushes. We would go out each spring, pull ivy for a few hours, fill up the yard waste cart, get discouraged by our lack of progress, go back inside and give up for the year. Pathetic. This year we decided to take decisive action, before the ivy completely took over. We hired Piedmont Goatscapers and their crew of goats to come in and clean up the place.

On the first day, the human crew came out to mark the young trees and plants we wanted to save. They set up a moveable pen with a solar powered electric fence. The next day, they brought the goats, and the goats went to work. The whole thing took about three days.

The most exciting part was what my neighbors called The Running of the Goats. At the end of each day, the shepherds herded the goats back to the trailer down a long chute that ran from the pen in the woods, along the edge of the woods, across the yard, to the street, where the goats were loaded on to the trailer to go home each night. The second day they were here, they caused a traffic jam, as people driving by stopped their cars to jump out and take a look and even to take pictures!

The woods look terrific now! They uncovered some native trillium growing back there, and the redbuds and dogwoods really stand out.

Violets

I know that they're weeds. I don't care. Violets are awesome. Even when they're all over my lawn. And in my flower beds.

Another orchid story

I bought my first Phalaenopsis orchid at a garden center sale after Christmas. I also bought a pretty new pot for it, figuring I'd repot it when it was done blooming. Guess what? More than two months later, it's still blooming! And it shows no signs of stopping. The shoot just keeps on growing, and new buds form at the end. Wow.

I just did some research and found out that this is normal. This type of orchid can bloom for two to six months. Plus, if I cut the stem just above where the first flower was, the plant will put out a new flower spike within a few months.

Usually all of my houseplants spend the summers on the front porch. If this baby's still blooming by then, I'm going to keep it inside where I can enjoy it!

Beautiful rainy day

It's been raining all morning. Sometimes a light rain, sometimes the gutters are overflowing, but it hasn't stopped at all. I've been waiting for rain like this. After a few days of rain in the early spring, especially when it's fairly warm, we'll wake up to the most amazing sight. The sun is out, the sky is blue, and everything is green or blooming. Never fails.

I'm looking forward to that, but I'm going to enjoy today. A rainy weekend day is perfect for a cup of tea and a good book.

Pine needles

I got my first bales of pine needles for mulch this morning. Our high school PTSA sells them for the spring fundraiser. They even deliver them. What's not to like?

I didn't grow up in the land of the long leaf pine, so I've always used shredded hardwood mulch. Since my front yard has three blueberry bushes and four azaleas, I decided I needed the more acid pine needles this year.

Things I learned:

• I love pine needles!  They smell good and they remind me of coastal piney woods. 
• They are so much easier than bark mulch to spread over large areas.  The bales are light, and I can spread by hand. I don't need a wheelbarrow, or pitchfork, or rake.  Yay!
• They're not as easy as bark mulch in areas where there are a lot of plants close together. It's difficult to get small amounts of the needles into small spaces. 
• I need to buy at least twice as many bales next year as I did this year.  

By the way, my college mentor, who grew up in eastern Virginia, called them pine tags. I don't think I've ever heard anyone else use that term, have you?

Better and better

Every day, something new is blooming in the yard! This is my very favorite time of year. When I got home from work today, I spotted these snow crocuses out in the front yard, so I grabbed the camera to see what I could get.

I got a new Panasonic G1 camera this winter. I've been working on learning how to use it to take decent photos. My husband is, literally, a pro, so I'm getting some great coaching, plus technical assistance in processing the files. I'm really happy with this one.