Es-Car-Gone

Yesterday I headed over to the shed, intending to bring some potting soil to the patio table. But instead of taking the direct route through the arch, my path went the long way around. I suddenly realized that I seldom walked through the arch that connected the patio with the rest of the yard. Why was I doing that?

Apparently it was just too darned unpleasant to walk under the Snail vine. Twice-a-week pruning was not keeping its rampant growth under control, and the lilac flowers were always covered in ants, which liked to crawl onto the gardener. Why was I tolerating this? I never even wanted a Snail vine – the label read fragrant Corkscrew vine! The color was bland! There was no fragrance! It was an ant magnet! Where are the pruners?

Once the Snail was gone, the native Coral honeysuckle was revealed, pretty but also scentless. Instead of fragrance for me, the hummingbirds got one of their favorite plants. For years I’ve grown the delicate, rather invasive Cypress vine, Ipomoea quamoclit, and Cypress vine seedlings pop up in a few places every year. I found one and transplanted it to twine on the arch. With a little luck we’ll have a magnet for hummers instead of for ants.