Hazelnut, I think I've spent the past 40 years right here in this same spot fighting creeping charlie, ground ivy, bindweed, trumpet vine, poison ivy vine and various other climbers that appear every single summer. I still fight them. But I decided a long time ago that since the climbers seem to love this warm humid area, then I'd choose which ones I wanted to live with. So far, so good, but I'm still fighting most of the others.
Sometimes I think they all have a mind and a determination of their own.
I have to tell you that I was greatly influenced by an article you wrote a few years ago about climbing roses and allowing them to grow up trees. I have a redbud that was damaged by a horrific ice storm in '09, I'll probably lose it eventually. But for the moment, a Peggy Martin rose grows up its mangled branches and a red honeysuckle vine was added about a year ago. The redbud is wearing new clothes.
And on another trellis where I decided I needed just one more wisteria, I planted two roses that my neighbor tossed my way. She had not realized that her roses were climbers. I haven't worked my way around to that side of the yard yet, but before it becomes a tangled trap of wisteria and thorny roses, I will. Here's what it looks like this week, you can't see in the picture but the roses are also blooming through the top of the wisteria - thanks so much for that long ago article!
