Busy, Busy, Busy and Some Great News!

Hi everyone!
Well, it's been a long and busy couple of weeks in the greenhouse! The rhizomes are in position and adjustments to the troughs are almost finished. With this being a new form of growth media for the black cohosh, I have been tweeking the set up for the last couple of weeks to minimize the possibility of too much or too little water flow in the individual troughs. Anything I learn in this process will add to the knowledge of how to develop this experiment into a workable commercial venture. We have also been in the midst of replacing our heating/heat pump system at home and finally have a new, efficient heat pump and heater! Our last system lasted 23 years without repair! Our HVAC guy thinks that part of the reason that it lasted so long was that with our 'forest-like' gardens around the house, instead of the 'normal' BIG swaths of grass, we are better protected from the effects of the sun during the summer. We also are better protected when it rains as the trees and other plants around the house utilize the runoff and we don't have water in our basement like our neighbors! I love it when I walk into the house after a long hot day in the greenhouse and it is cool and comfortable without the use of air conditioning!
OK! Enough 'preaching'! Another bit of good news! Our home will be in the September issue of Country Sampler and you will be able to see how I look at the end of a long day! LOL! Franklin and Esther (the photographers) wanted to put all of our grandchildren in the picture - they were in and out of the house all day! - but the only one still around at the end of the shoot was our oldest grandchild, Deshaun. He will be a sophomore in high school this September and goes to a math and business charter school here in Delaware. He is a math whiz and, since going to this school, loves economics and civics! He is taking Chinese as his language and enjoys the class. He goes to an excellent school and we are so proud of him. Also, I have spoken with Judy Condon and we are trying to work out a time for her to come up and take pictures of our home! There are lots of changes since Country Sampler was here so we are looking forward to seeing Judy in the near future. She is also starting a series of books on country gardens and my gardens will be in her premier issue! Stay tuned for a publish date!
Later today - Dicentra eximia, the little darling of the spring garden!