Today I'm curious about three plants on my District of Columbia
property, where my only gardening implements since I bought my
house have been shears, clippers and saws.

http://cpacker.org/a1.jpg
This vine seems to be blooming early this year. Both my wife and
I enjoy the fragrant flowers. The leaves are heart-shaped and a
little shiny -- I think that's what made the bluish areas in my
digital photo.

http://cpacker.org/a2.jpg
This vine is mixed in with the first. I like the subtle colors
of the berries.

http://cpacker.org/a3.jpg
These invade a flower bed in which my wife has tried to impose
more structure -- when she has time. Hey, it's her problem.


-- |
(Charles Packer)
http://cpacker.org/whatnews

Not sure of #1. The berries on #2 look like porcelain berry, but the leaves are
wrong. It is in the Vitaceae.

#3 is probably lily of the valley. It is very invasive.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Charles Packer had this to say...:
: Today I'm curious about three plants on my District of Columbia
: property, where my only gardening implements since I bought my
: house have been shears, clippers and saws.

: http://cpacker.org/a1.jpg

Looks like Virgin's Bower - Clematis virginiana - a sort of weedy native
Clematis.

: This vine seems to be blooming early this year. Both my wife and
: I enjoy the fragrant flowers. The leaves are heart-shaped and a
: little shiny -- I think that's what made the bluish areas in my
: digital photo.

: http://cpacker.org/a2.jpg
: This vine is mixed in with the first. I like the subtle colors
: of the berries.

It's a grape. Vitis sp. - maybe someone can come up with the species.

: http://cpacker.org/a3.jpg
: These invade a flower bed in which my wife has tried to impose
: more structure -- when she has time. Hey, it's her problem.

?? Looks sort of like Lily of the Valley. Have they ever flowered?

: -- |
: (Charles Packer)
: http://cpacker.org/whatnews

--
kathy at
fred
net

wrote in message ...
Charles Packer had this to say...:
: Today I'm curious about three plants on my District of Columbia
: property, where my only gardening implements since I bought my
: house have been shears, clippers and saws.

: http://cpacker.org/a1.jpg

Looks like Virgin's Bower - Clematis virginiana - a sort of weedy native
Clematis.

: This vine seems to be blooming early this year. Both my wife and
: I enjoy the fragrant flowers. The leaves are heart-shaped and a
: little shiny -- I think that's what made the bluish areas in my
: digital photo.

: http://cpacker.org/a2.jpg
: This vine is mixed in with the first. I like the subtle colors
: of the berries.

It's a grape. Vitis sp. - maybe someone can come up with the species.

: http://cpacker.org/a3.jpg
: These invade a flower bed in which my wife has tried to impose
: more structure -- when she has time. Hey, it's her problem.

?? Looks sort of like Lily of the Valley. Have they ever flowered?

Kathy is spot on - Clematis virginiana, wild grape and lily of the valley
(Convallaria). There are a few species of wild grape, but most are
considered to be somewhat weedy pests (although the birds love 'em).

http://www.weedalert.com/weed_pages/wa_wild_grape.htm

pam - gardengal

# 1. appears to be Clematis terniflora, aka Sweet Autumn clematis.

#2. appears to be Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, aka Porcelainberry Vine (get
some hail damage out your way?)

#3. appears to be Convallaria majalis, aka Lily-of-the-Valley.

Dave in Fairfax


"Charles Packer" wrote in message
om...
Today I'm curious about three plants on my District of Columbia
property, where my only gardening implements since I bought my
house have been shears, clippers and saws.

http://cpacker.org/a1.jpg
This vine seems to be blooming early this year. Both my wife and
I enjoy the fragrant flowers. The leaves are heart-shaped and a
little shiny -- I think that's what made the bluish areas in my
digital photo.

http://cpacker.org/a2.jpg
This vine is mixed in with the first. I like the subtle colors
of the berries.

http://cpacker.org/a3.jpg
These invade a flower bed in which my wife has tried to impose
more structure -- when she has time. Hey, it's her problem.


-- |
(Charles Packer)
http://cpacker.org/whatnews

wrote in message ...
Charles Packer had this to say...:
: http://cpacker.org/a3.jpg
: These invade a flower bed in which my wife has tried to impose
: more structure -- when she has time. Hey, it's her problem.

?? Looks sort of like Lily of the Valley. Have they ever flowered?

Yes, they bore small white flowers earlier in the year, as I
recall. They figure in the only amusing moment during a meeting
with the city yard inspector. He had tersely cited my "whole yard" for
excessive vegetation, so I asked him to visit and be more specific.

If something didn't look "cultivated," he didn't like it. The
abundant clematis and wild grape overhanging a retaining wall
next to the alley, needless to say, drew his particular ire.
Yards must be NEAT, he blustered, and later gestured toward my
wife's half-defunct flowerbed filled with lily-of-the-valley as
a paragon of good landscaping.

--
(Charles Packer)
http://cpacker.org/whatnews

Charles Packer wrote:
Yes, they bore small white flowers earlier in the year, as I
recall. They figure in the only amusing moment during a meeting
with the city yard inspector. He had tersely cited my "whole yard" for
excessive vegetation, so I asked him to visit and be more specific.

Yard inspector? What next.

He'd like my yard, a mixture of grasses recently scythed, with hayfield-like
windrow trails seven feet apart.

What to do with the windrow trails the next time you scythe is the
problem at the moment. If you scythe at right angles, they're swept up into
new windrow trails but with twice the content, old plus new.

I need a goat or something.

I was thinking of constructing a haystack in the driveway.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.