Well, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

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You know how you get what you think is a really good idea? Then sometime later, you figure out it wasn’t such a great idea after all?

Being an optimist (another name for gardener), I frequently have these great (choose one) – ideas – brain flashes – light bulbs going off in my head – inspirations – epiphanies. I get all excited and rush off to where angels should fear to tread. Add to that the fact I find it difficult (well, really darn near impossible) to pass up a native plant for sale and you realize I’m a recipe for disaster.

My Wonderful Husband says that I would buy at least three Poison Ivy plants if the garden center put them in plastic pots and labeled them “native”.

My Mistake

I fear I may have done exactly that when I bought a trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) last year. Now, living in southern Illinois and southern Indiana, I’d seen trumpet vines with their orange blossoms growing wild all my life. After I became interested in native plants, I learned the trumpet vine was native to my region and, and, AND attracted hummingbirds! How could I resist? Besides, it was such a cute little thing!

I took it home, planted it in a nursery bed with fairly decent soil and kept it watered. It struggled a bit last year, but this year it already has blooms and has grown a few inches. My original plan was to persuade Wonderful Husband to allow me to put a trellis in a nice sunny spot and transplant the trumpet vine there.

The Problem

So, what’s the problem? Brace yourself for this….it might be a Frankenstein! Several gardening site posts call this plant very, very bad names: thug, for instance. Apparently, it grows a little too well, rewards being pruned by sprouting suckers and re-seeds itself like a bunny rabbit on fertility pills. And, it’s poisonous, so don’t eat it. AND some people get intensely itchy rashes from contact with it.

Yikes! I need to change my plan. I think I’ll plant it along the edge of the woods. It won’t get as much sun there, so it shouldn’t grow so ferociously. The hummingbirds and butterflies can enjoy it and I can enjoy them, but won’t have to mess with the vine. AND, I will definitely wear long sleeves and gloves when I plant it!

Meet Dona Bergman

Dona Bergman is a founding member, Southwest Indiana Chapter of the Indiana Native Plant & Wildlife Society, and an Advanced Master Gardener.

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