Trellis Tales
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Dave wants to paint.
O Boy!
Plants have to be out of the way so he can get to spots like this. This trellis held a wisteria which was eating off the roof of our house, so we yanked it out and found in the same planter box that a tiny clematis was already there, growing in anonimity behind that monster wisteria. I saved it and added white bleeding heart and a tiny hosta (must have hosta).
The thought of the hours it would take for Dave to paint that trellis had me thinking about replacing it with one of those that is made from a white plastic compound, which never needs painting. $15 at Lowe's. I eventually got him to agree.
The back of the house has this huge vine, which has not bloomed, is unidentified and is right in the middle of the strawberry plants, which I am sooooo happy to have. 
They're already in bloom. And that vine is sapping all their nutrients and water, so it has to go.
RIP nameless vine. While Dave took a nap, I removed all four of the trellises and now he can get to the porch parts they once covered. And I have a use for those trellises myself.
I am planting my new climbers here in this rockbed. There are two more clematis, bringing our clematis total to 6, and two trumpet vines, one yellow and one orange. There is nothing organic in this spot, but my plan (should my energy hold out) is to dig a huge trench, fill it with humus, compost, potting soil, whatever, and then plant my plants here.
I will not be painting these trellises, and if my plan works, I may be adding more to them, for scarlet runner beans, and Sweet 100 tomato vines.
Not sure I'm with Dave on this, couldn't he have just trimmed them back?
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you are using the trellises elsewhere. If you are going to have them up against those railway sleepers you might want to put some sort of layer between them and the trellis. The creosote in the sleepers tends to be nasty to plants.
Don't ask me how I know this......
Railroad ties = poison. The stuff leaches from the wood into the nearby soils.
ReplyDeleteGrow ornamentals and flowers but not food.
Daylilys are wonderful on slopes and behind hills. The tubers multiply and hold the soil.
That vine in the strawberry patch looks suspiciously like my confederate Jasmine. Mine has been blooming with little yellow star shaped flowers on and off all through this crazed winter. Yours may have more sense. Wait for the flowers.
ReplyDeleteWow! Everyone has so much good info. This truly has turned into gardenmania.
ReplyDeleteGotta love those Bleeding Hearts.There one of my favorite plants. Elaine Cooke
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love trumpet vine, they need tending to prevent them from going the way of wisteria and jasmine. They love to branch out!
ReplyDeleteWell, if you want to plant a Tennessee native, plant a Passion Flower. They are beautiful and they were the state flower, for a while, but were exchanged for the Iris, in the '30s
ReplyDeleteJean
I'm with Jenny on the trumpet vine. If you plant it there, be prepared for it to crowd out everything else and, eventually cover the entire wall. It's worse than wisteria. But the hummers and butterflies will love you.
ReplyDeleteteri