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Published on
Friday, May 3,
2024
By Victoria Torley
Oh
my! Metric Man worked in the garden!!!
And what
was the work? It was tearing the *%&#*
vines from the shrubs. And why was he
willing to do it? The biggest shrub was
the Sanchezia with its
hummingbird attracting flowers. Metric Man
loves his hummingbirds. Naturally,
while he was in a moderately cooperative
mood, I pointed out that some other shrubs
were vine covered and he pulled
a few from those as well. Not many, but a
few. Then he
drifted off to make up some food for the
hummers. Vines. To
me, so many of them are just weeds. Do I
like morning glories? Of course, I do, or at
least I did. Morning glories (Ipomoea nil), are
wonderful in temperate climates. Places
where they disappear when the weather turns
cold and then reappear in the spring. I
don’t even mind that they self-seed since so
few of the seeds
make it through the winter. Enter the land
with no winter. No winter means no slowing of growth and no death by freezing. No winter means that every single seed that escapes the notice of birds has a great chance to become a “Class A Noxious Weed,” as the USDA terms one-morning glory species. I don’t think my morning glories are Ipomoea aquatica but I do think of them as noxious weeds.
Are
there good vines? Of course, there
are but even
they can become invasive. The Thunbergia
laurifolia, the
laurel clockvine or blue
trumpet vine, for example. Propagation for
this vine is from stem cuttings or shoots
from the tubers. It’s hard to get invasive
that way although it is sometimes
thought of as a
weed. Me? I like it and it
doesn’t get out of control. My
favorite vine is still the jade vine with
its huge showy
flowers and amazing growth.
In fact, the growth was so amazing that I
had to build a trellis 10 feet high to
accommodate it because it had invaded the
deck and was creeping toward the barbecue
grill. Sadly,
it proved
difficult to
move and I had
to start over with one of the seedlings.
When I checked this morning, the tendrils
had reached the top of the trellis and
were beginning to spread out. Another year
or so and we will
have flowers. Those flowers will be worth the wait.
Plant of
the week. The jade vine (Strongylodon
macrobotrys), commonly known as
emerald vine, is a leguminous species
native to the Philippine forests. Jade
vines can thrive best in greenhouses, but
growing them as ornamental plants is
possible too. They
demand sufficient direct sunlight for them
to thrive. Otherwise, lack of sun exposure
may cause damage to their roots. If grown
as a houseplant, plant them in clay pots
to allow their roots to breathe. Use a
soilless potting mix for easy drainage and
provide a trellis where they can climb. In
terms of maintenance, water them when the
topsoil is already dry. Jade vine grows
best in a humid environment. Apply
fertilizer twice a month or when
necessary. ---------------- Find more amazing stories about gardening in Costa Rica on the Costa Rica Garden website. Regarding questions on this article, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached by emailing victoriatorley1@gmail.com.
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