Guest post: Eve
Today's guest blogger is Eve, one of Garden Variety's most faithful readers. Thanks, Eve!
About 35 years ago, I started to read descriptions of hummingbird gardens. Trumpet Vine was always mentioned. The claim was that hummingbirds love the large, red, trumpet-shaped flowers. Sounded like the plant for me.
At the time, I was in the New Jersey house. Two tiny kids and an ancient house with an overgrown yard. (We could afford it, that’s why.) It was all I could do to keep a path beaten through the jungle-yard.
The stockade fence of my bright, shiny, new Houston house was the perfect spot for Trumpet Vine. Ordered it through a catalog and planted it in the gumbo. Never saw hide nor hair of the little bugger again. Well, it was Texas and things are different there.
On to the next state and the next house:
I thought I’d identified Trumpet Vine growing in the farthest rear corner of the lot, near the electric fence. One morning bright and early, however, the sheep from across the road were chowing down in that corner. Nothing Trumpet Vine-like ever reappeared. (Note to kindergarten teacher: Boy is late today because we had to herd six sheep back down the road. Sheep are not cooperative. Beagles are not herding dogs. If I’d realized I was going to be doing this sort of thing, I would have gotten a more appropriate robe.)
We were in Maryland for only a few weeks when I read in the Sunday Sun (back then, so big that you couldn’t send the littlest kid to carry it in from the end of the driveway) about a nature drive in Anne Arundel County. Could have been at Blackwater. (Typical of almost-30 years ago, it was a self-guided car tour instead of a walk or bike ride.) There was some magnificent Trumpet Vine growing around the trees.
Inspired, I spent the next 15 years trying to get TV to grow around a tree – any tree! – in my back yard. I have no idea what the problem was – OK, so maybe I can guess why it didn’t grow so well under the tree with the basketball hoop attached – but I’ve decided to blame the squirrels.
During these many years in all of these states, I also put out hummingbird feeders - we’re talkin’ decades of mixing sugar water! - and, frankly, I never saw any evidence of hummingbird presence. (The only birds I saw near the Houston house were Golden Eagles. I can’t imagine a feeder strong enough for an eagle to land on it. I can’t imagine what I’d have done if one had landed in my yard. The eagles seemed to be feeding themselves pretty well from the field across the road.)
When I moved to this little house and, what at the time I was regarding as the beginning of the quiet, Miss Marple (got the knitting needles back out) phase of my life, I decided to give Trumpet Vine one more chance. I saw myself as this sweet, little old lady, with birds feeding out of the palm of my hand while I sang a song and they trilled harmony.
I also thought it would “soften” the corner of the shed.
Yahoo! The plant took! And then I found out that Trumpet Vine is considered “invasive”. Nowhere – nowhere at all – had I read that previously! I will understand that catalogs are not going to blurt out the flaws in a potential sale, but gardening books and Web sites don’t exactly warn that this monster will try to crawl under the shed’s roofing shingles and up through the floor boards.
One Web site does say that it “covers dead branches on the ground and creates a secret hiding place for migrating birds and locals.” That just doesn’t seem to describe the situation. It tries to sneak up on the rosebushes and strangle them. Nary a word about roots running out into the furthest parts of my little yard to throw out branches everywhere, especially under my low-lying deck where they keep coming up through the boards while I can’t reach the suckers to dig them out.
Now it’s trying to take over the basketball hoop!
Since I am averse to poisoning my earth, I’ve been pouring white vinegar through the board onto them. More akin to salting the earth than I’d like, but GrandBoys can chase baseballs and basketballs and GrandGirl, with her little face so close to the ground may be offended by the smell but she won’t be poisoned.
The only plants that Trumpet Vine has not chosen to start up with are the Tiger Lilies. The Lilies’ story – perhaps another time.
Comments
Here in Carroll County there is no trumpet vine, no sugar water, but when the Rose of Sharon blooms humming birds do appear.
I hope with all her persistence to get that trumpet vine started, Eve finally attracted some humming birds.
Posted by: Reggie Greenberg | July 15, 2009 11:04 AM
I love hummingbirds! They are so cute! I wish they would come around more often.
Posted by: Jessica | July 15, 2009 12:09 PM