Putting the weeds to work for Us

[Buster's Uncle]

So, a few years ago, Mylochka had a vague idea to do something with all the ivy that kept wanting to grow in her backyard - it seemed unkillable, and there's something of an 'Overgrown English Garden' theme back there already, so ivy that was hardy in this harsh environment was a good fit.

Alas, I know of no before pictures to post, and I didn't take any until this current project was days underway, but she put up a row of 1 1/2' horseshoe trellises - naturally, the vine swarmed over those and prospered.  The next year, a really big trellis - about 5', and in the last two years, that got covered.

The backyard is divided by a flowerbed -actually filled mostly with bushes- with a sidewalk running through from the corner of the house.  We had a cool, very wet, spring -ideal growing conditions here in the Great Nation of Texas- and I suggested erecting some sort of trellis arch to let the ivy cover.  Mylochka didn't want to spend money on the deal, that sort of thing costing a couple hundred bucks and upward, but she had the lacy pseudo-wrought iron corner supports left from an awning that had gotten eaten by squirrels.  They had two sides at a right angle and stood nicely on their own, so no arch, but I had some ideas about handling that.

So we spent considerable figuring out how to anchor the things - once they're ivy-covered, they'd catch a lot of wind, and the winds here can get pretty ferocious.  Because of all the amateur cement work on the flowerbed spots flanking the walk, getting in the way a little and making lining them up tricky, for the one on the right, I drove a 4' rebar stake 3' into the ground (suburban fill-dirt, so half-measures wouldn't do) and Mylochka lashed it to the corner firmly with 14 gauge wire.  The other one had to have the bottom buried inside the flowerbed, and I drove the rebar at an angle from inside the right angle, tied the corner down and gave the stake a few more lick to tighten.

I also wire-tied the frames to a tree to the side on the left, the plank wall and another tree behind on the right , and each other at the top over the walk to create a bridge for the vines and support each other.  Nothing's hurricane-proof but this rig has survived some impressive storms already.  The wires are also for vines to grow on, of course.

There was a little ivy on the left flowerbed side to work with that had grown up a lantern pole, and a LOT of ivy adjacent to the right side where there was more sunlight.  After a lot of innerwebs research, I determined that my vine was Carolina Snailseed.  We actually do have the same species in America - though there it's not as impressive a grower, being good in a hot, slightly arid climate like North Texas, and not nearly as competitive in a habitable climate.  But it has attractive heart-shaped leaves, and no rootlets to cling with and damage walls.  Many on the net consider it an invasive weed; as I mentioned, it's hard to kill, but that's a big plus here.  I think it's beautiful.

So all this was on the first of May, judging from the timestamps on the photos - was going to start training vines onto the frames the next day, but woke to a three-day spell of gusty winds.  Not a good time to start.

Then Friday of that week dawned still, so I did some cursory vine training and took some pictures.  We were proud of our engineering, its thematic fit with the look of the yard, and that we'd spent no money except on the rebar for the stakes, doing the rest with materials on hand.

(Note the coffee sitting by the left-hand frame.)

[JarlWolf]

Not too many vines where I live, so im not really accustomed to them. Problem with explosive growth over here is fungus: Fungus and explosive growth of prickly weeds. Moist conditions, black soil and lots of rotting stuff, especially after winter means lots of mushrooms and lichen. Some of which can be ate.


As for my garden, or what I call the thing on my property, is just a flowerbed with lots of rogue wild flowers that I let grow everywhere, and then I have a small potatoe and cabbage patch. I live in a woody rural enclosure, a bit off the road, and then the main road is where all the farms are. A stream is within walking distance too on a path.

[Buster's Uncle]

Sounds a lot more appealing than the 'burbs.

[JarlWolf]

Yeah, wait until winter. I've been cut off for over 2 weeks sometimes because the roads get so bad, either icy to the point its like a slip and slide or enough snow to suffocate in.

[Buster's Uncle]

You would laugh and laugh and laugh at the Texans who start complaining when the temperature slips into the sixties (Fahrenheit) at night.  I myself sneer at the mild conditions that pass for winter - you would need medical attention, you'd laugh so hard.

Midsummer is hellish, though.

[JarlWolf]

Let me do a conversion of that.... ( Americans and their separate measurement systems.... makes my head hurt.)



15 CELSIUS?! That's pathetic 


That's a nice day in SPRING over here!
 


Right... where I live in particular... to give you perspective, and for your benefit I'll convert it to Fahrenheit because your a filthy heathen when it comes to measurement systems....

Summer ranges from roughly 68 F to 82 F normally, sometimes exceeding that. If it rains it can go below the 20 Celsius mark/ go below 68 F but only if it rains or is windy and that's still pretty nice. 

Spring ranges from 15 C/ 59 F to 20 C/68 F normally, but can dip below to 10 C/whatever the equivalent that is in F, its a little chilly.

Fall/Autumn typically is similar to spring, but temperatures can go to 0 C/32 F and past it at times into the negatives.  Though keep in mind, Fall temperature/season over here can end in October. Winter unofficially starts by October and snow begins falling then, frost usually comes before it in the final portions of October.

Winter itself ranges from -10 to -15 on a VERY nice day, (that's considered a warm day during winter here) or 14 F to 5 F. Keep in mind, NICE WARM DAY.

For an average day, late teens and over -20 for an average run of the mill day, windchill makes it seem like -30 C.  Or -4 F to -22 F.

On a cold miserable day, temperatures exceed well past -30, often reaching below -40 with windchill, Celsius. Or -30 F to -40 F and beyond. Essentially, any exposed skin will get frostbite within 5 minutes.



Edit: And my portion of the country isn't even near the coldest. Go up near Arkhangelsk and you'll starting seeing -25 C for a nice day and below -50 C at times. Strong men have died working those harbours, frozen to death.

[ariete]

russia is a great nation (more than texas  ), but i could never live there for the strong cold, i would risk freezing of the balls, eye balls. here summer is too hot and too muggy in the cities, so peoples can't do nothing or moving without sweating in that season, only relief is to have the sea nearby. sorry BU but i'm not practice in gardening, i just got fooled by the title of thread ...

[Buster's Uncle]

[Geo]

It seems I should never go to the Southron States once June peeks around the corner.

[Buster's Uncle]

It's not a Southron State - it's Texas.  Much nicer in America most of the time.

[Geo]

Lone Star or not, it's still part of the Union; 

[Buster's Uncle]

Nobody's happy with that.

[Buster's Uncle]

So, later in the day on the fourth of May, I finally got a shot that came out in focus.  It doesn't really show the over an hour's work I'd put in since taking the photo attached to the OP, but you can see what you're looking at better, and I'd spent some time tweaking the structural engineering and trained a little more vinage onto the trellis.

More to come - a LOT more...

[Unorthodox]

To show my one track mind, can't help but thinking what a wonderful place for a pumpkin patch. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Can't say that that comes as a shock...