One of the most important things that I’ve learned about Nature is that there is always something new to learn.
Over the last two summers I’ve been watching a huge mass of some sort of vine – there are so many different kinds – that grows alongside and up and over the deck area at the back of the house where Joanne and I live. This year I decided to spend some time looking a little more closely so I could learn how to tend to it in a more productive way.
The first thing that I noticed is that this vine grows from the ground root, starting in the spring and that at the end of the autumn season the entire plant – except the roots – dies, leaving behind all the old vines. So, this spring, I gave the area where it grows a thorough cleaning – removing all the many years of dead vines that had accumulated.
Because I had learned that this vine fills a very large area during its growth – over the last two summers this area was on top of the driveway (which I had to continuously cut back) – I thought that I could help the vine to grow in a more upwards fashion, thus making use of this massive plant(s). I started feeding the vine through the latticed part of the back deck and through the railing supports.
From the top wood supports along the outside edge of the trellis, I hung three individual lengths of gardening yarn. As the vine grew above the railing I would wind it around this yarn to encourage upwards growth. As the vines grew upwards I would begin to bend the vines outwards, horizontally so that I could create intersections of vines that would eventually fill in.
I entitled this fun gardening experiment ‘The Wall O’ Green’ – LOL!!! During the height of its growing period I had to tend to this vine on a daily basis. Since the middle of July the growing has slowed considerably, with small new offshoots of vines and leaves that continue to weave themselves amongst the rest of the vine without my help at all.
I’ve grown to realize that there is so much for us to learn about Nature. Many people think that Nature is something that is found in the forests and fields that surround our cities, or in the wildlands of remote regions. This is not so! Nature surrounds us entirely, wherever we are. It is there to support our lives. It is there to support our way of living. It surrounds us with knowledge and lessons, open for any discovering mind. Let us continue to open ourselves to these simple realizations so that we can build stronger and more positive relationships with the forces that enable us to exist!!!
Jim
Over the last two summers I’ve been watching a huge mass of some sort of vine – there are so many different kinds – that grows alongside and up and over the deck area at the back of the house where Joanne and I live. This year I decided to spend some time looking a little more closely so I could learn how to tend to it in a more productive way.
The first thing that I noticed is that this vine grows from the ground root, starting in the spring and that at the end of the autumn season the entire plant – except the roots – dies, leaving behind all the old vines. So, this spring, I gave the area where it grows a thorough cleaning – removing all the many years of dead vines that had accumulated.
Because I had learned that this vine fills a very large area during its growth – over the last two summers this area was on top of the driveway (which I had to continuously cut back) – I thought that I could help the vine to grow in a more upwards fashion, thus making use of this massive plant(s). I started feeding the vine through the latticed part of the back deck and through the railing supports.
From the top wood supports along the outside edge of the trellis, I hung three individual lengths of gardening yarn. As the vine grew above the railing I would wind it around this yarn to encourage upwards growth. As the vines grew upwards I would begin to bend the vines outwards, horizontally so that I could create intersections of vines that would eventually fill in.
I entitled this fun gardening experiment ‘The Wall O’ Green’ – LOL!!! During the height of its growing period I had to tend to this vine on a daily basis. Since the middle of July the growing has slowed considerably, with small new offshoots of vines and leaves that continue to weave themselves amongst the rest of the vine without my help at all.
I’ve grown to realize that there is so much for us to learn about Nature. Many people think that Nature is something that is found in the forests and fields that surround our cities, or in the wildlands of remote regions. This is not so! Nature surrounds us entirely, wherever we are. It is there to support our lives. It is there to support our way of living. It surrounds us with knowledge and lessons, open for any discovering mind. Let us continue to open ourselves to these simple realizations so that we can build stronger and more positive relationships with the forces that enable us to exist!!!
Jim
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