Friday, June 7, 2013

VINES and other things.





Kentucky or Virginia creeper on a carriage house next door.

This is a good hotel for birds. they arrive every evening and fight for the best spot. 

Kentucky or Virginia creeper , creeping on the back of My Old Historic House.

A wall covered in Ivy at the Village Black Smith Shop.
  As I went to work this morning I could not help but notice all the beauty that was around me. Sissy does not move fast, she has to sniff and smell and roll , so we don't get anywhere in a hurry. The first thing I saw as I left my side door this morning was a pile of shipping pallets, a giant roll of plastic , big pile of sand and several piles of sand bags. Not the best greeting in the world, but better than the river under my feet. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the famous blue Porta Pot , just standing there in a spot of honor. The sun is shining today and we have not had rain for almost 3 days. The river is starting to fall and finally I can  give my attention to something other than a flood.
    I am not sure how many take the time to read my blog. Sometimes I wish I had a way to tell. Often comments are made that suggest they only look at the pictures. I have been there before. I always  put a little thought and attention into my blog post. I realize there are only so many bloggers out there and they all are not my followers, and not even all of them really like and care about every blog one can post. I used to do a little history lesson with mine. Tried to add a little humor and often told a story or two. I see some bloggers change a pillow or two, add a bow, buy a new plant and them seem to get just as much attention as I do. Wouldn't you  like to just say the truth once in awhile? I would, but I know it is not correct, so often I just go with out any comment what so ever.
    Well, I got off track there for awhile. Sorry!  Back to my walk and all the beauty this morning. I just love Vines. The wilder, the more they over power, the better. Ivy is a favorite. I have come to learn that it is not a good thing. It does tend to dig into surfaces and cause rot and damage. It is wonderful for rock walls and old fences. Can not hurt them and adds a real beauty that only ivy can do. I love it also because it stays  green all winter. In spring it is electric, bright and vivid. All the new growth just looks like a gift from Heaven. In winter the leaves turn deep hunter green. They are stiff and great for winter bouquets or Christmas decorations. It will last for weeks when cut and one does not even have to put them in water. I love a long bundle, tied with a bow and hug on a door , window or top of a mirror. So simple, so natural and so cheap.


The creeper behind my house covers the window. looks so cool inside.

Love the creeper and the brick combination

Creeping up to the roof.


Creeping on my neighbors carriage house. Her father took this off last summer and it is already back.

   I have a passion for a vine that is somewhat of a monster. I believe it's common name is Kentucky or Virginia Creeper. Well it not only creeps, it spreads,vines and takes over. You can pull it down and it will be back in a few days. I have always said that if you stand still, to long by it, it will vine up your legs. It does not dig into wood or motor, so is not as  bad as ivy. I don't care, I just love it and I let it grown over the windows on the roof and where every it wants. Ever few years we tear it all down and let it start over. If I didn't, I am sure it would devour the whole house. I keep it toward the back. I love the look of the vine covered windows. It makes the room  feel cool and creates great shadows about the rooms. The birds love to roost in this  wall of vines. Every evening, just about dark, there is a huge ruckus as the birds fight for there spot that night.


This is the wild Clematis I was talking about. Growing here on a slave cottage wall.

A closer view. It is beautiful, but  a devil. Be ware.

   We have a wild Clematis that I hate. It is beautiful when it blooms. Has masses of all these little white blooms that produce masses of seeds that produce masses of new vines. It is a pest.It can grow several feet in a week. Kills other plants as it does so.If you want to grow some, be ware, it is awful hard to control. It likes wet, dry, good, bad soil and even grows out of cracks in the sidewalk. The blooms are worth it, especially when there is a huge mature vine that bust open in full bloom. I don't let it grow at my house, but my neighbor has  a huge one and it so beautiful when it blooms. Looks like a big giant wedding veil or bridal bouquet.


These climbing red roses have been blooming ever since the flood started in late April. What a gift they have been.,

An ivy covered blacksmith shop on Main Street here in Clarksville,

One of many rock retainer walls found in town. Love the pink and purple combination.



A wonderful Wisteria covered patio says welcome and also strikes a little mystery as to what might be found inside there.

See the Juniper vine down  the rock wall and highlighted by the bright yellow Clorelopis .

    Vines were not the only thing I noticed as I walked to work. Beautiful flowers are in bloom all over the two blocks between, My Old Historic House and my antique mall. Roses,one of my favorites, have been especially  beautiful this year. The wet and cool have done there do. I have had a hug red climber going at it for weeks. One of the buildings here in town has a small wild flower garden. It is really out of control now. One would have trouble keeping up with it, especially  with all the the rains we have had this spring. I love wild flowers and I love them out of control Another thing we seem to have an abundance of here in town are rock walls. Built to retain banks they are beautifully dotted in the local landscape. I especially love when the plants vine there way down these rock walls.
    Even in the middle of a Mississippi River flood that started 51 days ago, here in Clarksville,Mo. There is a lot of beauty and much to be thankful for. I hope you all can come some time soon for a real tour. Just step over the shipping pallet, sand bags and by pass the porta pot and enjoy the beauty you will find here. Maybe some day soon we will be back to normal. What ever normal is? Just take  some time to see the beauty around you. Richard and Sissy
 
A local wild flower garden growing out of control due to all the rain and coolness we have had this spring


The red is so bright

The purple is alive

Dainty yellow adds a touch of elegance close to the ground.

17 comments:

Pamela Gordon said...

Richard, thank you so much for the tour of the beautiful vines and flowers in your neighbourhood. It looks so pretty and lush. I'm so glad the flood didn't do any damage for you. Hopefully they'll have the sandbags etc. moved soon. Take care and enjoy the spring! Pamela

primnproper said...

Beautiful pictures. Could you please tell me the name of the flower pictured with the comment "The purple is alive". I purchased some of these at a Thrift Shop but never new the name.
Thanks,
Barb

Lottie said...

Richard, such a beautiful place you live in with all the flowers and climbing vines! Could Clarksville be paradise, or maybe Heaven?

In your post you indicated that you would like to know how many visit your blog. There are two ways to do that. 1. Sign in to blogger like you are going to edit a post, and click on your number of posts. 2. Add Feedjit.com as a third party HTML/JavaScript on your layout section of your design. I like Feedjit, it is free, because I can tell when, who, and from where someone accesses my blog. But YOU can click on the link at the bottom on the Feedjit (as well as anyone in the world) and see who has accessed my blog too.
I have one on the bottom right section of my blog.

Gina @ VictorianWannaBe said...

Hi Richard,
I enjoyed the flower and vine tour of Clarksville! You are right about beauty being all around us, no matter the circumstance it is always there if you just take the time to look for it.
I know what you mean about wondering if people actually take the time to read your post or if they just scroll through and look at the pictures. I have to admit that I do that with a few blogs that may be about something that I'm not really interested in. But let me tell you Richard, I get so excited when I see a post from you on my reading list, I read it immediately and I read every word you write! As for your older posts, I love reading about all you know about antiques and everything else! I go back and read your posts over and over, I refer to your blog as if it were a collector's book in my bookcase! (If you published a book I would be the first to buy it!)So please don't think your posts go unnoticed! And please don't stop posting!
Have a great day! Gina

Victorian1885 said...

Your walk to work is a beautiful one. When we purchased our last home I fell in love with the Virginia Creeper that had grown up the entire back of the 1924 two story house. We knew we needed to paint the stucco and I felt so bad having to cut the creeper done. As you mentioned in your post it is a fast growing vine so I was so excited to see it had covered the entire back of the house within the next year.
I am happy to hear the river is finally going down as I can't imagine the damage it would have caused in your beautiful place. Take care.

Mourning Dove Farm said...

Enjoyed this post---I always enjoy reading your blog. There are many I do not take the time to read but yours makes me feel like I am right there with you. You also made me appreciate my ivy--I shall remember to use it more for winter decor.

Babs said...

I really enjoyed the photos from your neighborhood. I love Virginia creeper. The north side of our yard is covered with ivy and Virginia creeper and I love it, but it needs to be "groomed". The ivy climbs the trees and has to be cut back. Glad the rain has stopped for a while there. Have a good week. Oh, I like the idea of tying the ivy in a bundle for Christmas decoration, too.

Anonymous said...

Well, you asked for feedback, so here goes! I LOVE your posts, especially when you include the stories, history lessons, and humor. The pictures are lovely, but they're nothing without your posts. Please don't feel discouraged. Just keep on as you've been doing.

As for the vine tour ... it does look lovely, but for the first time since I discovered your blog, I just can't share your admiration. Virginia creeper is a beast, impossible to destroy. At a previous home, I fought it for years without success, only to discover that my neighbor had planted it on her nursery's recommendation. Of course, it spread from her yard into mine, and there was no getting rid of it. Ivy tears out chunks of brick and pieces of mortar. When the vines are pulled off buildings, they leave behind those hairy suckers that leave a tracery on the building. Yes, vines look lush and lovely and romantic, but I just can't enjoy the view. I see instead destruction, a harbor for insects, a menace to fine old buildings, a bringer of rot and damp.

I used to grow morning glories in pots, thinking I could control them that way while enjoying their flowers. When I moved to my present home, I'd decided no more morning glories. They sow themselves everywhere, and then it's weed, weed, weed. Well, they came along somehow in the move. Maybe in a potted plant. I brought some roses to this new yard. Now, the morning glories have engulfed the rose garden and all but smothered my fine old French roses. I see a few blooms struggling up to the light and air, but otherwise the vine has taken over. The birds love the shelter, and mockingbirds nested in the dead vines early this spring. Now I have a whole crop of young mockingbirds hanging out in my backyard. I haven't had the heart to pull down the old vines and disturb the birds' habitat, but I wish my roses could breathe.

Out on a fence or a mailbox, sure, honeysuckle, clematis, or morning glories are lovely. My grandmother grew a trumpet vine along the top of her yard fence. It bloomed every summer and the hummingbirds loved it. It also crushed the fence wire and allowed rabbits into her vegetable garden.

My new neighbor planted wisteria first thing after moving in. It tried to tear down my wooden fence.

Vines are pretty in pictures, but in the south they are quickly out-of-control monsters. I can only say one last word: kudzu.

Eek!
Deb

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

So glad the water is going down! I loved going along on your walk to work-you have lots of beautiful flowers to look at every day. I love Virginia Creeper too-exterminators say it is a ladder for termites to get in the house-I think if they want in they will find a way. I get discouraged at times to about my blog.

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

By the way you can go to your blogger dashboard and click on stats to see how many people have viewed your pages each day-like you say lots of people stop by and don't comment.

Curtains in My Tree said...


I really enjoyed your & Sissy's walk
I don't like vines on houses seems like it rotten s the wood? maybe not I agree it looks real pretty I just see damage under it like the shop you pictured

my one rose bush has been so happy blooming a ton of roses for me
I would love to have some wisteria
I did have that juniper vine and finally got it all cut away however Ivy is the villain at my house can't get rid of it, its even growing up in my tree over my patio someone said it will kill my tree???

so glad the river is going down for you all in Clarksville and up the rivers edge

I finally got to meet Gina from Wanna be Victorian, she came to my yard sale

hope to see you soon

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Deanna said...

Richard, I like the vines! The flowers are gorgeous.
d

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

Dear Richard, I read your posts and love them and Sissy...
if you want to really get good statistics on who reads your blog, where they come from etc. sign up for Statcounter.
http://statcounter.com
it's free and a great resource

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

Dear Richard, I read your posts and love them and Sissy...
if you want to really get good statistics on who reads your blog, where they come from etc. sign up for Statcounter.
http://statcounter.com
it's free and a great resource

zooperson said...

I certainly look forward to seeing all your photos, but I read every word of your blog and appreciate the time and effort you put into it--it shows. Thank you for taking such care of the past and your willingness to show and share it with others.

Matthew said...

Hey there! Thank you for sharing of photos of flowers and vines. I am glad to stop by your site and know more about old historic houses. Keep it up! This is a good read. You have such an interesting and informative page. I will be looking forward to visit your page again and for your other posts as well


Matt
www.windowplanet.com