Doug Kanter wrote:
"Bonnie Espenshade" wrote in message
...

Last year I found wild grapes growing along a fence in the
back of my yard. My husband was ready to pull it out when I
said no leave it grow for the birds. He insisted wild grape
vines don't grow grapes - they just looked like grapevines.
Well, my wild grapevines are now loaded with beautiful
little grapes! I'm eager to see what birds they attract.



My wild grape vine attracted pteradactyls - huge ones. Unfortunately, they
had no appetite for any of the local dogs. :-)



I don't think I'll be that lucky.

--
Bonnie
NJ
http://home.earthlink.net/~maebe43/

"........... perhaps it is also true that one man's weed
is another man's rose! ......."

No..........but One mans Rose can be another mans weed

From: Bonnie Espenshade
Date: Fri, May 23, 2003 12:29 PM
Message-id:

Doug Kanter wrote:
"Karen" wrote in message
...

I see nothing wrong with wildflowers like fireweed, lupins and others.
If
you control them in your garden they make lovely backdrops and are perfect
for the areas where nothing else will grow, or areas that are hard to
get
at.



Not only that, but (get ready for some really dumb logic): If they're
happy
there, it's because they're happy there. Too many gardeners (myself
included) struggle with plants which are wrong for the larger climate
(your
entire zone), or wrong for the mini-climates around the house. If you
have
plants which are thriving and spreading, why mess with it, as long it
you're
not talking about bindweed or horseradish.



Last year I found wild grapes growing along a fence in the
back of my yard. My husband was ready to pull it out when I
said no leave it grow for the birds. He insisted wild grape
vines don't grow grapes - they just looked like grapevines.
Well, my wild grapevines are now loaded with beautiful
little grapes! I'm eager to see what birds they attract.

--
Bonnie
NJ
http://home.earthlink.net/~maebe43/


The birds planted the vines and they'll come back for their harvest. Some cool
birds and some not-so-cool. Look for Northern Mockingbirds, American Robins,
Northern Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, various blackbirds.....just to name a
few.

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa

"........If you have plants which are thriving and spreading, why mess with
it, as long it you're not talking about bindweed or horseradish..........."
Why choose these, and not Fire weed, that is if You mean Rose Bay Willow
herb, this is a very rapid spreader,(I have pulled stems with as many as 14
separate runners coming from the one stem, and it's seeds blow all over.
Horse Radish in my experience only spreads slowly my clump is now over 10
yrs old and is still only around 2ft across.
Why not Add mint, I have had Eau de colone mint sending out runners over 10
ft long in a season, and Black peppermint over 6ft from the main plant, so
it could give a clump 12ft wide after a year.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

Bonnie, your garden is beautiful. Joanne



"Bonnie Espenshade" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"Bonnie Espenshade" wrote in message
...

Last year I found wild grapes growing along a fence in the
back of my yard. My husband was ready to pull it out when I
said no leave it grow for the birds. He insisted wild grape
vines don't grow grapes - they just looked like grapevines.
Well, my wild grapevines are now loaded with beautiful
little grapes! I'm eager to see what birds they attract.



My wild grape vine attracted pteradactyls - huge ones. Unfortunately,
they
had no appetite for any of the local dogs. :-)



I don't think I'll be that lucky.

--
Bonnie
NJ
http://home.earthlink.net/~maebe43/

Joanne wrote:
Bonnie, your garden is beautiful. Joanne

Thank you!
--
Bonnie
NJ
http://home.earthlink.net/~maebe43/

Xref: kermit rec.gardens:229602

Well, I was just naming the first two that came to mind, because I'm most
familiar with them. Bindweed climbs any vertical shrub it comes close to and
makes a mess out of it. And, a friend's horseradish plant has roots which
spread almost 15' in all directions in a matter of 5 years. He finally
killed it and replanted it within the confines of an old abandoned cement
septic tank. :-)

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
"........If you have plants which are thriving and spreading, why mess
with
it, as long it you're not talking about bindweed or
horseradish..........."
Why choose these, and not Fire weed, that is if You mean Rose Bay Willow
herb, this is a very rapid spreader,(I have pulled stems with as many as
14
separate runners coming from the one stem, and it's seeds blow all over.
Horse Radish in my experience only spreads slowly my clump is now over 10
yrs old and is still only around 2ft across.
Why not Add mint, I have had Eau de colone mint sending out runners over
10
ft long in a season, and Black peppermint over 6ft from the main plant, so
it could give a clump 12ft wide after a year.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk