Green Thumbs? All Out of Those

I am not a natural gardener. My annual herb garden has spotty success - fine with parsley (usually), adequate with basil, straight on hellscape for cilantro. I can't seem to do it. I'm zero for six I think. Even with my new aerogardens, I fear for my thyme and chives. I don't seem cut out for houseplants. I've had better luck in the past with outdoor foliage. With the move to North Carolina last year, I've had little time for much beyond mowing what little grass there is (I have moss!) and mulching around the trees. Impulse lead to a purchase of bulbs from holland - LOTS of them - for daffodils and tulips and a bunch of ferns for a steep hillside. I had to wait months for the bulbs, but when they arrived in the fall, I planted them strategically, accenting existing shrubberies (thwaaaaang!)*, the fenceline, and the road. This week, they started peeking out.

Of course, it was hard to see them under the leaves that have collected over the last five months. I left them in place as added insulation through the winter, but now they are a wet, heavy mess. I started to clear just around the new bulbs, but that created leaf dunes and a lumpy landscape. So, armed with a new, wider rake, I tackled one small section of the yard and an hour later, I had five giant bags filled and a burning desire to hire professional help. The burning might have been my arm appendages.

Yes, that's a snow shovel. 

And then - the birdhouses. 

I think they are charming. Initially, I thought they would make cute decorations for my sunroom, but after three, I didn't have any place to display them. At some future point, I'd like some live edge shelves for the brick wall, but until then, it seemed a good idea to hang them out front so I could see happy birdy families from my office.  Dave says they make our house look "Blair Witchy"

Well, maybe. But the leaves will return soon and bring color back to the mountain. In the meantime, I have this:

* Seriously? Monty Python