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The Woodland Garden: An Image for Writing and Healing?

Posted on Apr 8, 2007 by

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.

Bleedingheart2

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.

Sweet_woodruff

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.