Came up with a temporary 'support' for my mystery Vetch plant

[Siwsan]

It was nearly smothering one of the perennial plants, the name of which I have forgotten. Thankfully I have LOTS of old political campaign yard signs and a wire frame will do until I come up with something more aesthetic.

[doc03]

1. Looks like Crown Vetch. nt

[happybird]

2. Is that crown vetch??

Kill it! It will take over your yard and smother anything you have growing there!

They use it on the highway medians here because it quickly covers the whole area and kills any grass that would need mowing/maintenance, and because it can be contained by the asphalt on either side.

https://www.invasive.org/weedcd/pdfs/wow/crown-vetch.pdf

[Siwsan]

3. Yikes!

It seemed to come out of NOWHERE and it sure did grow fast.

I've heard they are really good for the soil (nitrogen enrichment) but I don't want it smothering everything. I am already battling the wild morning glory. I swear it wouldn't surprise me to see a tendril of that coming up through the kitchen sink!!

Maybe I'll dig it up and try transplanting it to the back corner of the back lot. It has a steep, short slope that I can't really mow it with the lawn tractor. I've been thinking about transplanting a bunch of grape hyacinth to that spot. This might be better, if it serves as a ground cover. There's really nothing back there for it to bother.

Thanks!!

[happybird]

4. We found out about it years ago

About 30 years ago, my mother mentioned to her neighbor, a Master Gardener who breeds Iris, that she was going to dig up a couple clumps of the “pretty purple flowers” she saw growing like crazy in the median outside of town. She thought they would be great as a ground cover on the ugly, barren slope on my parents’ side of the communal gravel driveway. Nothing she had tried from the nursery had survived in that spot.

The neighbor shrieked, “Noooooooooo!” and explained what the plant was.

And that ugly little slope is still barren, to this day.

[Siwsan]

5. I decided to dig it up and deposit it into a yard waste bag

I mean, why risk it spreading to adjoining yards. I'll stick to my grape hyacinth plan. Last year a Moon Flower and some Pflox showed up on that slope, so hopefully they will spread. I might also plant some Daffodil Bulbs back there.

That HUGE plant had just one root. Well, that I saw. I'll keep an eye on that section of garden. Well, and elsewhere. Like I said, I have NO idea where it came from. If it was a bird poop contribution, there might be more. At least I know what to look for, now.

Again, thanks!

[happybird]

6. You're welcome :)

I love grape hyacinth. They look so pretty en masse and the color is soothing and dreamy.

The spring bulbs are some of my favorite flowers, just wish they bloomed longer. I’ve fantasized about having a half acre carpet of hyacinth, tulips and daffodils. That would be amazing to see every morning while drinking coffee.

The wild blackberries are finally blooming here and the breeze smells so sweet right now!

[ratchiweenie]

7. There are some kinds of vinca that will spread very rapidly but are easy to cut back and

control and are almost indestructible. I love them for covering hillsides.

[Siwsan]

8. Vinca or Vetch

I have a beautiful Vinca and it does spread, but not particularly fast and all I have to do is snip the runners. Apparently the Vetch can get out of control and overtake things.

Actually, now that you mention it, I might try transplanting some of that Vinca to that slope in the back lot. I want something -ANYTHING - that will choke out the weeds but not overtake the neighbor's property.

[ratchiweenie]

9. Vinca. I planted a running type one year (smaller leaves and flowers) and it covered a hillside in

2 seasons. Like you said, all I had to do was clip the runners where I didn't want it to go. Never had to water it or take care of it except for clipping it where I didn't want it to go. Love, love, love it for spreading and erosion control. Very easy to take cuttings.

[Siwsan]

10. My Vinca has been absolutely beautiful, this year, with more blossoms than I've ever seen.

I think it would do well on that sloped patch of ground. Of course, I still have to de-weed it. I'm thinking about attacking it with the long handled 'claw'. Ideally I'd like to clear it and then cover it with black plastic, until next Spring, to sterilize the soil. Then I can start from scratch with lots of nice ground cover.

Fortunately it's in the very back of a deep lot, so it's not too visible, in its current state.