ethaisa

Well, I attacked the hydrangea thicket this morning and turned it back into something that should grow up to resemble a hedge. It was getting way too heavy on top, which was cutting off the light for the new growth below. If I don't shape the upper branches, then I end up with a spikey mess of top heavy hydrangea trees.

I also took on the elephant grass, ripped up a whole lot of rampaging lemon balm and cleaned up the detrius under the butternut, freeing the shade garden from twiggy, nutty bondage. Violets are going nutso back there this year, the periwinkle is blooming and my precious three trilliums have turned into four. No sign of my elephant fern, but some Solomon's Seal has miraculously sprung up in its place so I'm not complaining. The woodruff is slower, but holding it's own, and as soon as some of the hostas get a bit bigger I'm going to transplant some of them to the front bed.

The herb beds will have to wait (but not long, the mugwort is mounting an early campaign against the wormwood and I want to move the wolfsbane to make room for the mandrake) but now I'm off to have a hot shower before my back rebels.

Amazing what a little sunshine-induced adrenaline and a pair of newly oiled hand pruners can engender!