Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Friday, May 27, 2005
A Day of Firsts
Yesterday was a day of firsts. I saw my first dragonfly of the year, first swallowtail butterflies of the year (both tiger and some type of black one), and I tried Mike McGrath's 7-step poison ivy eradication program for the first time. I first read of his technique in the now-defunct Mid-Atlantic edition of People Places & Plants, a magazine I really miss. I didn't do all of the seven steps, but I did pull out the vines using plastic bags as shields and then immediately showered and washed my clothes. That way worked fine for me, but the poison ivy plants growing on our lot were mostly very small. I used to just dig them up by getting a trowel under their roots and then flipping them into a garbage bag without touching them. This year, there were a few that had grown beyond the stage where the trowel method would be practical. We took a walk in the woods behind the house this morning, and I noticed the poison ivy seems much more abundant than in past years. I assume the birds are bringing me the seeds - that's the thanks I get for feeding them. ;-)
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