Mumsy's Romantic Garden Advice

[armorfirelady]

I had ivy all over my front yard when I bought my house. It took me days to pull it up. I still have one piece that grows by the house. I pull it out every time I see it. It was growing up under the siding of my house when I first moved here. I like the look of ivy but I don't like how invasive it is.

Will be patiently waiting to see the next class on poisoness plants

P.s. don't forget to eat lunch today Mumsy

 

[SallyinIndiana]

The garden pictures are so pretty. Thanks for the inspiration as well as the great advice and information.

 

[aoxa]

This is a good place to discuss dangerous plants. There are some I regret bringing onto my property. The Goose-neck Loose-strife was one of those. Dangerous to other plants. I love spreading plants in certain applications. Soil erosion, ground covers in other wise barren areas. Or vast wild areas. Non native plants really irk me. Himalayan black berry was brought by settlers onto Whidbey Island and it has ruined the natural forest and rural areas. I could write a book about invasive species. Plant and animal but I don't want to depress myself.

Then there is a category of dangerous plants to humans or animals. I used to battle noxious things like Tansy and Bracken fern when I raised horses. The state has the right to come onto Private property and eradicate Tansy. It's easy to spot when it's in bloom. They dig it up, put it in a bag, blooms, roots and all and away they go. Bracken fern causes vitamin B deficiency in horses. They browse on it or get it baled up in hay. Then you wonder why you feed and feed your horse and it fails to gain weight and thrive.

I knew English Ivy was dangerous to trees and if it establishes itself in your forested areas, you will battle it till the day you die. It sucks the life out of trees and slowly kills them all the while spreading through the forest from tree to tree. A one inch piece of Ivy will root and grow another plant. All it needs is a little moisture.

I planted ornamental varieties of variegated ivy on the log play house. It grew up and covered the roof and walls and was beautiful for many years. I loved it. My husband warned me it could give us problems but I assured him we could keep it in check. We did for a very long time. What we failed to for see was how the ivy kept the log play house from every thoroughly drying out. Birds made nests in it. Termites got into the logs. The log playhouse began to rapidly deteriorate after the ivy covered it.



The log playhouse the first year we moved here. Before Ivy.


All that remains of the log playhouse today, after Ivy. My husband spent three weekends of hard labor digging up and burning every piece of ivy he could find.

I still think ivy has uses. In bare lots. Chain link fences, Edgings that are regularly mowed. But not English Ivy. There are slower growing named varieties.

I need to have breakfast and feed the flock. I want to discuss dangerous plants to humans. There are some I only handle with thick gloves. And I'm not referring to thorny ones. There are some exceedingly poisonous plants out there.

I'm finding all of this info truly fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to go through it with us. I know I am learning a lot!

Love the flowers around the playhouse now. Beautiful. I am very fond of Nasturtium as you know. It looks great with all the rest.

That yellow flower I was asking about yesterday is not in bloom yet. I didn't even check before I asked.

Some people love to keep their grass pristine. Only grass is allowed. My father is one of those people. He always teases me when he comes over about my grass.. I welcome wild flowers. The chickens love them, and I especially love clover that is abundant in certain areas of the yard.


This is what my lawn looks like before I mow. The rabbits need all this variety as well. No one likes the little purple flowers (Looked it up - they are called Self Heal), but the buttercups and white clover- they eat them right up!


I keep leaving it before I mow hoping the goats will take care of it. They don't. They prefer the trees (I have no issue with this.. we have a lot of them!)


it's truly a playground for the chickens!

I'd love to be able to identify Maple trees.. I am terrible at it.. I want to tap the trees and make Maple Syrup next year.

We have walking trails all back in the woods, but the mosquitoes are terrible. There are many wild raspberry bushes all around. It's heaven when you put lots of bug repellent on.. which I do not like doing - but will on my clothing so we can go for a stroll (with the goats!)

 

[Kassaundra]

I love Clematis' in bloom, but hate how many of them go to seed. I actually almost had succeeded in growing one from seed until my cat decided to use that pot as a litterbox and killed it.

I thought the main propagation method for them was cuttings?

 

[Kassaundra]

No my clematis does not self seed, none do that I am aware of.

Mine looks dead and brown during winter but comes back to life in the spring, I don't cut the "dead" stuff back in the winter b/c it is still alive just dormant.

 

[aoxa]

I thought the main propagation method for them was cuttings?

From what I understand it is hard to grow from seed because the seeds are often not fertilized. I am not 100% on that, but I did purchase seeds and I did have growth!



This is what it looks like when it has gone to seed.

 

[MumsyII]

@aoxa: I love your wild lawn. Beautiful. The forest is awesome! I wouldn't do a thing to change it. Lovely for walks with your goats and a lovely patch of wild habitat.

@Kassaundra: Root layering clematis gives me a plant that takes fewer years to bloom than cuttings. Clematis cuttings are fragile and need to be kept in my green house for three years before hardy enough to plant out. I grow a couple species clematis that seed will grow true. They have yet to seed in my shrubbery. Most clematis offered in nurseries are hybrids and the seeds are sterile.

Some clematis, such as the species types and those with small blooms or early blooming varieties do best and flower more prolifically if they are left to their own devices and prunned but little. Large flowered hybrids benefit from prunning here in late winter. The blooms then will be larger and the plant rejuvenates. A trick my Grandmother taught me about clematis. They want their feet in the shade and their heads in the sun. They do best with cool roots. I place bricks over the root area of all my large bloom varieties. I plant them at the base of fences, trellis, or shrubs. Then let the vines scramble up through the roses or other shrubs.


This is a clone by root layering of Clematis 'Henri" I planted it behind the climbing hydrangea on the trellis. A self seeded mole plant (Euphorbia) is in front of it) The clematis grows up through the hydrangea and blooms over the top of it some years. They bloom at the same time. One of my favorite combinations.
Edited to add: The clematis that aoxa shared a picture of is a species Clematis Oriental from Asia.

 

[MumsyII]

We can return to any subject at any time. You all have probably figured out by now that I can go on and on about some plants and subjects dear to my heart.

POISONOUS PLANT WARNINGS!

When I was a kid, poisonous plants only concerned me if they stung, caused rash, or blisters. My mom told me when I was three, I was covered in rash by Poison Oak. We lived in Northern California at the time and I played in nothing but skivvies in the summer. My mom said I called it the "Oook". Pictures of me slathered in pink Calamine lotion proves she wasn't kidding. I've never seen poison oak or poison ivy since moving to Whidbey Island. Thank goodness for that small mercy. I've had my fare share of run ins with nettles. They are coming up in my garden even as we speak. I take them out where I walk and garden. I leave them alone in wilder areas. I was thrown from a horse into a wild patch of nettles at age twelve when a fox spooked my horse. I have deep respect for that plant. I use thick leather gloves up to my elbows when weeding it out of the potager garden.

There are many kinds of poisons that some plants produce. Most do not concern me because I know better than to put them in my mouth or handle the leaves or sap. Nettles are a no brainier. So are the leaves of Rhubarb, Rhododendrons, and the Yew.

My children were taught as babies not to put any plant in their mouth unless mummy said it was ok. My toddlers were never turned loose in the garden unless I was there at their side. Not just because of poisonous plants but because I didn't want them to think if they could suck on a stem of Sweet Cicely in mummies garden, that they could do that in someone else's garden. Who knows what other people spray on their plants!

There are two plants I would not plant. Not with children in the picture and not for me. Monkshood is top of my list. So poisonous that handling the roots of the plant with a cut on your skin can put your life in danger.

Oleander is the other.

 

[aoxa]

There are two plants I would not plant. Not with children in the picture and not for me. Monkshood is top of my list. So poisonous that handling the roots of the plant with a cut on your skin can put your life in danger.

Oleander is the other.

I have never heard of this plant before. It is beautiful. A real shame it is so dangerous.

The worse issue I have ever had with anything plant related is hay. I am lucky I guess. Every time I touch hay though I break out in hives. Before I had two years of allergy shots life was pretty miserable in the summer.

Poison Ivy & Poison Oak is uncommon in my area.

So you wear gloves when touching Rhododendrons?

 

[wlhtx]

On the subject of poisonous plants and goats, here is where goats come in super handy. There has never been a dwelling on the property where we built out house, so everything is completely wild. The woods right beside our house were covered in poison ivy/poison oak that was so old the base of the vines were easily 2-3 inches think. We did a lot of hacking and very careful burning to remove a lot of the thicker stuff, BUT we were amazed to discover that the goats would seek out the poison ivy/oak for consumption. It does not harm them and apparently it tastes really good to them. I've watched them nearly try to climb certain trees so they could reach further up the trunks to eat the vines. Now, if I see any more trying to grow, I will herd the goats to that area and they eat up all the new growth.