The Woodland Garden: An Image for Writing and Healing?

One of my favorite tasks in the garden is brushing back oak leaves—and finding out what’s come back—new spring growth—

Here are two things I uncovered in the garden in the past week. The first is bleeding heart, or dicentra spectabilis. I didn’t really have to uncover this one at all. It just popped up—and then started blooming its pink delicate hearts.

The second one I did have to uncover, brushing back oak leaves. For the last few years now, I’ve had it in my mind that this one is bear’s breeches—but I was wrong—it’s sweet woodruff. It comes back each spring—and it spreads. I like its tiny delicate leaves—and that green.

And I just learned from the UBC Botanical Garden site that it has all these other wonderful names: hay plant, kiss-me-quick, mugwet, rockweed, sweet grass, woodruff, bedstraw, sweet-scented bedstraw, May grass, our lady’s lace, and sweet white woodruff.