Vinca major (Bigleaf Periwinkle)

One of our smaller garden beds has a pretty green and white creeping vine that has little purplish blue flowers in the early spring to mid-summer. It was quite apparent that the vine was of the spreading nature. It had filled the garden bed and was heading down the divider between our driveway and our neighbours. Our driveway is paved but his is gravel so the vine had no problem spreading and rooting. Still it was pretty so I set out to identify whether the vine was friend or foe. At the same time I started trimming it back and asked the neighbour if he wanted it removed from his side. This is always a nice thing to do if something you have in your garden encroaches onto the neighbour's yard to ensure good neighbourly relationships.

Vinca major varigata Louden
(Big Leaf Periwinkle)

Vinca major L. is a very fast growing perennial, ornamental ground cover that has small, five petal, purplish blue flowers often referred to as Bigleaf Periwinkle. The leaves are green with creamy white edging. It is not a climber but can be draped over edges and fences to soften the look. It looks very pretty trailing over the hard edges of flower beds and retaining walls. Vinca major grows nicely in full sun to shade. This vine is low growing at 8 to 12 inches high but it is quite invasive with trailers spreading up several feet. This vine can easily take over an entire garden forming a dense mat and overwhelming other plants. However, its dense growing pattern also keeps any patches of Vinca major weed free. Vinca major is a wonderful substitute for grass because in those areas where you don't mind its spreading nature. It is rather maintenance, pest and disease free. Neither deer or rabbits will eat Vinca major. Aphids may occasionally appear on the leaves but can easily be removed using a strong spray of water. This vine is perfect for sloping areas to prevent soil erosion. In temperate areas the vine is an evergreen. Cuttings can be taken to grow in containers and hanging baskets. Vinca major is quite drought tolerant and over watering will kill the vine so be careful to not over water. It is best to water the soil rather than the plant to prevent an fungal spores present in the garden from settling on the leaves. Propagation is by cutting. If you want to remove Vinca major the best way is to manually pull it out. Do not mow it because the vine has the ability to re-sprout.

Now that I have identified this creeping vine the next decision is whether to move it to another location. It would be better to move this invasive vine to one of the confined garden beds where it can only spread as far as the surrounding hard surface barrier like the space between the house and side walk. I will also be starting a few pots of Vinca major, over winter indoors then use them in planters next spring.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

A Walk-a-bout the Gardens

Each time I do a walk-a-bout the gardens I discover new plants. I'm excited even though I am sorely missing my main vegetable garden this year. Plans are underway for a late season garden as soon as it cools a bit more at night. I'm hoping to plant towards the third week of August for our zone. In the meantime I've been starting herbs and discovering what is already growing here.

Daylily

Daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.) are hardy, adapatable and rarely bothered by pests. Their showy, trumpet shaped flowers are sure to please. As perennials they are very easy to care for. The only place they do not grow well is near trees. They like full sun, regular water and occasional fertilizing. Deadheading will keep the plants tidy and may encourage some daylilies to rebloom but it not really necessary. Daylilies are propagated by root division every 3 to 5 years.

There are several clumps of daylilies here that won't be able to be identified until they bloom. I suspect at least one will be the common Tiger lily. I have not identified this daylily that is quite similar to Dark Star that is growing in the outer most yard. This daylily is undeniably orange instead of the deep rose of Dark Star. So I will have to do a little research.

Morning Glory

Morning Glories (Convolvulaceae sp.) are my favourite flowering vines so I was delighted to discover a couple of very small vines in the front garden. Spiral shaped buds open to funnel shaped flowers. New flowers bloom daily opening in the morning and dying off by late afternoon. Morning glories can be trellised and used as privacy screens. They will not attach to siding or brick making them ideal flowering vines for the side of houses. Most morning glories in our zone are annuals but these appear to be perennial.

Bird's Nest

There is always something special about discovering a bird's nest. This is the second one I've found since moving here. It is in the branches of a small ornamental tree near the front door. The nest is high enough that I can't see into it but there doesn't appear to be any activity.

We have a nice variety of birds in the gardens. A pair of cardinals visit daily as do several sparrows and house finches. Other identified birds that visit include: Baltimore Oriole, Cowbirds, robins, bluejays, grackles, redwing blackbird, goldfinches, swallows and Northern flickers. There is also a wide variety of water fowl. I haven't seen a hummingbird visiting yet but know they are in the area as are woodpeckers, nuthatches and many more. It will be interesting documenting the various bird species visiting our new gardens.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Trumpet Vine

Trumpet Vine
(Campsis radicans)

Years ago when we bought our second house there was a vine growing up the south side of the house. This was an old, turn of the century, wood sided, two storey house in need of tender loving care. We were young and naive so tackled the job that ended up being an almost 12 year project. We did everything from designing a huge kitchen, re-roofing, siding, new wiring, new plumping, refinishing wood, installing a pool with large two level deck and privacy fencing. Finally we tired of our money pit and sold it for a non-descript subdivision house with no character but minimal work. We are now moving into house number five and a bit wiser but back to the vine.

I thought the vine was beautiful. It was a bright green and shaded a good portion of the southside wall in the summer. It never flowered in that location as my husband ripped it out because it was damaging the wood siding. We found remnants of the vine under the second story siding coming through the wall when we did the wiring! I salvaged a few pieces, set them in water to root then planted them along what was then a chain link fence. By the time we put in the privacy fencing the vine had grown considerably so I decided to leave it to soften the look of the fence despite my husband's protests. I was rewarded with beautiful deep orange trumpet shaped flowers. A few years later when we sold, the vine had covered a good portion of the fence and was pushing some of the fence boards loose. My husband declared it a weed worthy only of Round-up but it was too late, I had already fallen in love with this beautiful vine.

After we moved, I was at the nursery looking for plants when I discovered the same vine except it had yellow flowers. It was a trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) so I bought it much to my husband's dismay. I had strict orders not to plant it anywhere near the house! I brought a piece with me when we moved here and planted it by the old garage now being used as a garden shed. The vine is growing nicely but hasn't flowered yet. I'm taking a few cuttings with me to the new house.

The trumpet vine is a low maintenance, fast growing and spreading vine that is ideal for privacy screening. It is pest free and fairly drought tolerant. In fact, this is one vine that lives on neglect. It transplants easily and new vines can be grown from cuttings. The beautiful trumpet shaped flowers attract hummingbirds, wasps and bees all of which are beneficial pollinators in the garden. Unfortunately, the trumpet vine can be invasive and should not be planted against houses or other buildings. It is best if contained somewhat to prevent the invasiveness. So becareful where you plant this vine. The trumpet vine can cause rashes for some people so gloves should be worn when handling the vine. Propagation can be through cuttings or air layering.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Flowering Vines

One of the easiest ways to camoflage an unsightly feature or provide friendly privacy is to grow flowering vines. I think flowering vines are the most versatile for these types of applications but by all means can be grown just for their beauty.

Clematis

While I have other flowering vines both annual and perennials, I have to admit to liking clematis. They put on a showy display. I have two clematis plants, one still has the original label then there is this one that we moved from our former house to this house. Unfortunately I do not have the original label and that was well before I discovered the benefits to a garden journal so I do not have the variety. It is a gorgeous flower!

Another perennial flowering vines in our zone that I like is trumpet vine. This hardy vine does well but takes a long time to flower. I planted one three years ago and it still hasn't flowered even though the foliage looks nice and healthy. I specifically wanted this flowering vine to attract hummingbirds. Hopefully it will flower for me next year.

Happy Gardening

Garden Gnome